[Intra-arterial infusion of adriamycin in the treatment of locally advanced breast cancer].

Intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy was performed in 27 patients with locally advanced breast cancer. Through two catheters placed in the subclavian artery and the internal mammary artery, 30-50 mg of ADM was injected intermittently with/without continuous infusion of 5-FU. Higher response rate was noted in cases treated with ADM alone (80.0%, 16/20) in comparison with ADM-5-FU (57.1%, 4/7). Overall response rate was 74.1% (20/27). The correlation between the total dose of ADM infused and the rate of tumor regression was observed. Out of 18 cases who received 120 mg or more of ADM, 16 cases (88.9%) showed tumor regression greater than 50%, in contrast to 4 of 9 (44.4%) cases who received less than 120 mg of ADM. A significantly higher concentration of ADM was detected in tumor tissues obtained one hour after intra-arterial injection of ADM, compared with patients who received intravenous injection of ADM. The side effects due to this course of treatment were considered to be tolerated. Prognostically, although no definite correlation was observed between clinical or pathological effects and survival rate, a more favorable prognosis seems to be expected with this treatment compared with other forms of therapy.