Continuous 5-day infusion of vinblastine for percutaneous hepatic arterial chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer

We assessed the therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of continuous hepatic infusion of vinblastine in the treatment of breast cancer predominantly metastatic to the liver. Twenty-six patients previously treated with one or more chemotherapeutic regimens received vinblastine at a dose of 2.0 mg/m2 daily for 5 days, via percutaneously inserted intra-arterial catheters, at 3-4-week intervals. Nine of 25 evaluable patients (36%) achieved partial response and four (16%) had minor response. For responding patients, the median time to disease progression was 21 weeks (range, 12-99), with a median survival of 11 months (range, 4-29) from the beginning of hepatic arterial infusion. The toxicity of the treatment was acceptable, and drug-related effects were comparable to those seen in patients with breast cancer treated by iv continuous infusion of vinblastine at slightly lower doses. We observed two episodes of transient inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion. Percutaneous hepatic arterial infusion of vinblastine had significant activity in the treatment of breast cancer metastatic to the liver.