Pelvic vascular bed isolation in the management of radioresistant pelvic cancer.

The term "pelvic vascular bed isolation" is given to our newly described type of cancer chemotherapy. The tissues underlying the bilateral vaginal mucosa are clamped for 4-6 hr. The hypogastric, superior gluteal, inferior gluteal, internal pudendal, obturator and ovarian arteries and veins are all ligated. MMC solution ranging from 50 to 80 mg is given into the hypogastric arteries. Pelvic isolation seldom caused prohibitive complications because the lumbar artery served as a collateral shunt by making its own way into the median sacral artery. We reported here controlling recurrent cervical cancer for about one and a half years in one case, and panhysterectomized radioresistant pelvic cancer for at least 3 mo in two cases with this type of cancer chemotherapy. Clinical benefit to these patients was also great.