Concentration of 5-FU after hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy for liver metastases of colorectal cancer

AIM: Hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAI) using 5-FU is a good method of treating patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer. We investigated the toxicity and the response in relation to the concentration of 5-FU after HAI, and examined various factors that would have an effect on the 5-FU concentration. RESULTS: The mean 5-FU concentration was 480 ng/ml. The most frequent complication of HAI was anorexia. Three of 14 patients suffered from grade 2 or 1 anorexia. The 5-FU concentration of these patients was higher (1,010, 721, 642 ng/ml) than that of the others. The response rate of HAI was 36%. The 5-FU concentration of responders tended to be lower than that of non-responders. None of the following was related to the 5-FU concentration: whether or not the gallbladder was resected, whether or not co-lateral blood flow was recognized, or the volume of the patients' liver. CONCLUSION: 5-FU concentration after HAI has some effect on anti-tumor response and gastrointestinal toxicity.