Innovative regional therapy for head and neck cancer.

A totally implantable infusion pump (infusaid) has been developed to achieve continuous drug delivery for long periods of time. The recent availability of a dual-catheter totally implantable infusion pump permits the infusion of both external carotid arteries simultaneously. This has obvious advantages for the treatment of extensive tumors of the head and neck that extend across the midline. Likewise, for the first time, unilateral local-regional disease that extends inferiorly beyond the nutrient field of the external carotid artery may be treated with intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy without the need to infuse the common carotid or innominate arteries. Unilateral infusion of the entire head and neck is accomplished by using the dual-catheter pump to infuse both the thyrocervical trunk and the external carotid artery.