[Arterial infusion chemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer in liver metastasis and long-term survival after treatment].

Fifty-five gastric cancer patients with liver metastasis received arterial infusion chemotherapy. In 14 patients who had lesions in the liver intra-hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy was performed, while in 41 patients who had lesions in the liver and other sites intra-aortic infusion chemotherapy was performed. Methods for inserting the catheter into the aorta or hepatic artery and treatment schedules were reported previously. Between 1975 to 1981, 33 gastric cancer patients with liver metastasis were treated with 5-FU only (4 cases). MMC.5-FU (18 cases) and ADM.5-FU (11 cases). No response was seen, but minor response was seen in two cases. Between 1982 to 1988, 22 gastric cancer patients with liver metastasis were treated using arterial MMC.5-FU therapy combined with angiotensin II (13 cases), arterial MMC therapy combined with degradable starch microsphere (6 cases) and sequential MTX.5-FU (3 cases). The response rate of MMC.5-FU therapy combined with angiotensin II was 5/13 (38%) including one complete response. The responders of MMC-combined DSM therapy were seen in 3 (50%) out of 6 patients. However, no response was seen in sequential MTX.5-FU therapy. In the present study, a 61-year-old patient treated with MMC.5-FU combined with angiotensin II therapy, survived for 49 months after treatment. In order to improve the prognosis of gastric cancer patients with liver metastasis, it is important to increase the delivery of anticancer drugs to the target tissues by using certain drugs like angiotensin II and DSM. In the future, further studies should be done to prolong the duration of remission by arterial chemotherapy.