Hepatic arterial infusion with floxuridine and cisplatin: overriding importance of antitumor effect versus degree of tumor burden as determinants of survival among patients with colorectal cancer.

Cisplatin (CDDP) was combined with floxuridine (FUDR) and delivered into the hepatic arteries of 29 patients as induction therapy for colorectal cancer metastatic to the liver. Mitomycin C and FUDR combination was substituted after progression or when response had peaked. Chemotherapy was delivered with an Infusaid pump (Infusaid Corp; Norwood, Mass; 14 patients), Medtronic programmable drug administration device (Medtronic, Inc, Minneapolis; two patients), or percutaneously placed catheters (13 patients). Complete disappearance of liver metastases was observed in four patients and 11 additional patients had a partial remission as determined by computed tomography (CT) scan and substantiated at times by angiography, for a total response rate of 52%. Response as determined by imaging techniques coincided with a concurrent decrease in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and improvement in performance status. The severity of tumor burden was correlated with the response to therapy and survival. Among those patients who responded to arterial chemotherapy, differences in disease severity did not significantly influence survival. Median survival among responders with greater than 25% liver replacement by tumor was 14 months (P = .28), compared with 28 months for those patients with less than 25% liver replacement. In contrast, differences in tumor burden significantly affected survival among patients who failed to respond to chemotherapy; median survival among nonresponding patients with greater than 25% liver replacement was 4 months, compared with 8 months for those who had less than 25% liver replacement (P = .01). The presence of minimal extrahepatic disease at the time of initiation of intraarterial treatment did not seem to have a significant detrimental effect on survival. The study suggests that hepatic tumor response to arterial administration of CDDP and FUDR and mitomycin C and FUDR is clinically significant because it overrides the effect of tumor burden on survival among patients who have colorectal cancer with liver metastases and may offer effective palliation.

Management of malpositioned central venous catheters.

Through research and clinical trials at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, central venous catheters have gained wide acceptance and are being used for an increasing number of applications. More than 30,000 patients have had a CVC placed since the inception of the M. D. Anderson program in 1976. The soft and less thrombogenic silicone elastomer catheter is the most commonly used catheter in the institution. This study found that most commonly observed malpositions are related to the puncture site and technique, venous anatomy, and catheter characteristics. The study also indicated that the majority of malpositioned central venous catheters need not be removed but can be safely repositioned using rapid flushing, patient positioning, partial withdrawal, or simple or deflective guidewire techniques. Early recognition and management of malpositioned central venous catheters not only guard against serious complications but also allow proper catheter function and prevent delay of intravenous therapy.

Hepatocellular carcinoma. A retrospective analysis of treatments to manage disease confined to the liver.

The histories of 73 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) confined to the liver who were seen at M. D. Anderson Hospital between January 1976 and December 1983 were reviewed. In 18 patients the tumor was resected either at the outset or after the patients' response to chemotherapy; nonsurgical treatments consisted of hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) in 10 patients and intravenous (IV) therapy in four patients. Patients who had resection were younger, and their liver functions and performance status were better than the IV and HAI groups. Their median survival was 46 months. Of the patients who had nonresectable tumors, 28 received chemotherapy by HAI and 27 received IV therapy. Of the 28 patients in the HAI treatment group, 25 received uniform infusion of floxuridine (FUDR, Roche, Australia), doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and mitomycin C (FUDRAM). Of the 27 patients in the IV treatment group, 15 received 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and doxorubicin-containing regimens; in 11 patients 5-FU was combined with other agents. The HAI and IV treatment groups were similar in age and ethnicity, performance status, serum alpha-fetoprotein levels, liver function, presence of hepatitis B antigen, and presence or absence of cirrhosis. The median survival was 9 months for HAI-treated patients and 5 months for the IV-treated group. The statistical differences were resection versus HAI, P less than 0.01; resection versus IV, P less than 0.01; HAI versus IV, P less than 0.01. Thirteen of 18 patients who had resections, six of 28 patients treated with HAI, and two of 27 IV-treated patients survived 2 years or more. It is concluded that for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma confined to the liver, the option of tumor resection either at the beginning of treatment or after chemotherapy offers the best chances for long-term survival. The overall prognosis is poor for patients with nonresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, but arterial infusion chemotherapy may double the median survival as compared to IV chemotherapy.