Intraarterial infusion chemotherapy for hepatic carcinoma using a totally implantable infusion pump.

Intraarterial infusion chemotherapy has several theoretical advantage over conventional therapy for the treatment of unresectable malignancies. However, the catheter problems and patient restriction to the hospital associated with its use have resulted in infrequent application and a notable lack of progress in this field of oncology. This paper describes the use of a totally implantable, percutaneously refillable infusion pump in 5 patients with primary or metastatic carcinoma of the liver. The infusion cannulae were placed into the hepatic arteries under direct vision at laparotomy, and the pumps were placed in subcutaneous pockets. Four patients received infusions of 5-fluorodeoxyuridine at rates of 0.2-0.5 mg/kg/day for periods of three to 29 weeks; the pump in the fifth patient was defective and was removed. The implanted pumps were well tolerated in these subjects, who received chemotherapy as outpatients; the only adverse effects noted were related to FUDR toxicity. This implantable infusion pump appears to be a practical means of delivering long-term intraarterial infusion chemotherapy to outpatients.