Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy for Life Threatening Patients due to Liver Metastases from Colorectal Cancer with Cetuximab.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This retrospective report evaluated the safety and efficacy of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) for life threatening patients with unresectable hepatic metastases.

METHODOLOGY

Seven life threatening patients with hepatic metastases who were treated with HAIC up to September 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. As HAIC regimen, 5-FU (1000mg/m2) was administered weekly via continuous 5-hour infusion using a continuous-infusion device. After improvement of liver dysfunction, cetuximab was administered simultaneously by the same dose of single administration. Treatment was repeated weekly until progression of hepatic lesion or discontinuity by unacceptable toxicity or patients' proposal.

RESULTS

In 5 patients with hepatic metastasis related complaints, 3 patients improved after the initiation of HAIC. Three out of 4 patients with PS 2 or 3 were improved by the initiation of HAIC. The median OS was 9.5 months. No severe adverse toxicities and no treatment death related to HAIC were observed. The most severe non-hematologic adverse events were ALP in 3 patients, transaminase and bilirubin in 1 patient with grade 3.

CONCLUSION

HAIC may be considered to perform when the hepatic metastases progress as life threatening status even though those are refractory to standard systemic chemotherapy.