A Prospective Evaluation of the Treatment of Primary or Metastatic Liver Carcinoma with Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy

The efficacy of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAICT) in the treatment of primary or metastatic liver carcinoma was evaluated in 37 patients. The infusions were administered through a catheter that was placed in the hepatic artery, either surgically or by percutaneous puncture of the femoral artery. A complete response was observed in four patients. A partial response was observed in six patients and a minor response in another six. In nine patients the disease had stabilized, while a progression of the disease had developed in 12 patients. After a mean of 4.7 cycles per patient, the response rate (complete, partial and minor responses) was 43.2% and median survival 12.0 months. Seventeen Grade III toxicities were observed in a total of 174 cycles, but none of them were fatal. HAICT has demonstrated a successful palliation with minimal toxicity in patients with unresectable liver carcinoma.