Endoscopic local injection of a new drug delivery formulation, anticancer drug bound to carbon particles, for digestive cancers: pilot study.

A new dosage formulation consisting of an anticancer drug bound to activated carbon particles was developed for the treatment of digestive cancer in patients in whom operation is contraindicated. The new formulation is designed to distribute higher levels of anticancer drug to the regional lymph nodes and at the injection site compared to distribution of the drug in aqueous solution. In 12 patients with histologically proven carcinoma (7 with superficial esophageal cancer and 5 with early or proper muscle layer-infiltrating gastric cancer), an anticancer drug bound to carbon particles (total dose, 40-100 mg peplomycin or 250-500 mg methotrexate per person) was injected endoscopically into the primary lesions. Eleven of the 12 patients are currently alive, 12-64 months after therapy, or they died without evidence of cancer 12-98 months after the treatment. One patient has remained cancer-free for 32 months after a second course of the new formulation therapy given to treat a recurrence detected 26 months after the first treatment. Endoscopic injection of this new dosage formulation seems to control these digestive cancers in patients in whom operation is contraindicated.