REGIONAL INTRA-ARTERIAL INFUSION OF ADRIAMYCIN IN TREATMENT OF CANCER

Abstract

Forty patients with otherwise untreatable advanced carcinomas received arterial infusions of adriamycin. Significant responses were seen in 5 of 9 tumors of the bladder, 2 of 5 hypernephromas, 2 of 2 islet cell tumors, 3 of 5 sarcomas and 1 of 2 metastatic tumors of the breast. One patient with advanced transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder had no tumor at the time of subsequent resection. There were no responses seen in 2 oat cell tumors metastatic to the liver, 1 seminoma of the retroperitoneal space metastatic to the liver, 1 squamous cell tumor metastatic to the liver, 1 squamous cell tumor of the vulva, 1 carcinoma of the cervix uteri and 1 cloacogenic carcinoma. These responses in advanced tumors are exciting. The use of this technique to reduce tumor bulk prior to operation, irradiation, adjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy may allow a significant breakthrough for such tumors as sarcomas, hypernephromas and transitional cell carcinomas of the bladder. Further studies will be pursued using this concept.