Peripancreatic artery ligation and artery infusion chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic carcinoma

Objective To develop a new treatment for advanced pancreatic carcinoma. Methods Twenty-nine patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma (12 patients with liver metastasis at the same time) were randomly divided into two groups. In group A (n=11), patients underwent bilio-enterostomy and/or gastro-enterostomy combin ed with systemic chemotherapy after surgery. In group B](n=18),]patients un derwent bilio-enterostomy and/or gastro-enterostomy combined with peripancreat ic arterial ligation and arterial infusion regional chemotherapy. Twenty-four patients were followed up for 3-18 months. The palliation of clinical symptoms, changes in carcinoma size by B ultrasound (BUS) and CT scan, survival period an d serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were observed and compared between the tw o groups. Results Symptoms were alleviated in most patients in group B, and BUS and CT scan showed that tumor volume decreased in group B. The response rate was 66.7% in group B and 18.2% in group A](P<0.01).]The mean survival period was 4.8±0 .6 months in group A and 12.5±1.2 months in group B](P<0.01);]there were significant differences between the two groups. The decrease in serum CEA was 54% in group A and 60% in group B; the difference was not significant (P >0.05).