[Basic and clinical study of liver cancer using intra-arterial infusion of an emulsion of the oily contrast medium lipiodol with 5-FU].

An emulsion of Lipiodol and the anti-cancer agent 5-FU has been made using the microtip of an ultrasonic homogenizer, and we have been performing super-selective intra-arterial infusions of the emulsion by the Seldinger method on patients with liver tumor. In our basic study, the emulsion was in a water-in-oil state in which 5-FU granules 5-45 mu in diameter were enclosed in the Lipiodol. In an in vivo experiment, the concentration of 5-FU in the tumor tissue remained as high as that existing 30 minutes after infusion of the emulsion, while almost no activity was detected 30 minutes after infusion of 5-FU only. Therefore, the use of Lipiodol as a carrier enables the anti-cancer agent to reach the affected site and makes it possible to obtain a high concentration of the drug within the tumor itself in cases of liver tumor with abundant vasculature significantly involving the hepatic artery. In addition, with this method, it is possible to select different drugs according to the drug-sensitivity of the particular tumor, and the side-effects are extremely slight. In conclusion, we believe that this method can be an effective therapy not only for unresectable primary liver tumor, but for metastatic liver tumor as well.