Prospective study of chemoembolization (CE) of liver metastases from endocrine tumors. A report of 15 cases

Fifteen patients with unresectable liver metastases of endocrine tumors (nine carcinoid tumors and six gastrinomas) were treated with an intraarterial emulsion of iodized oil and adriamycin followed by gelatin sponge particles. Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated in terms of hormone levels and tumor size as measured with computed tomography. Six patients showed a reduction in tumor size, and 4 a response in tumor marker levels. All these metastases were derived from primary carcinoid. All cancer-related syndromes disappeared. There were two major complications. The response in these 6 patients lasted from 2 to 39 months. Metastasis from primary gastrinomas did not respond to CE. These results indicate that chemoembolization is useful palliative therapy for patients with hormone-secreting tumors of the liver, particularly in carcinoidsCorrespondence to: P. Legmann