Pilot study of regional, hepatic intra-arterial paclitaxel in patients with breast carcinoma metastatic to the liver.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 25% of patients with metastatic breast carcinoma develop hepatic involvement during the course of their disease that further affects their survival. Systemic paclitaxel is safe and has demonstrated good antitumor activity against breast carcinoma. The objective of this prospective study was to determine the safety and antitumor activity of hepatic intra-arterial paclitaxel therapy. METHODS: Ten patients with breast carcinoma and dominant liver metastases received monthly, inpatient, 24-hour, continuous hepatic infusions of paclitaxel at 200 mg/m(2) through an intra-arterial catheter, which was placed using a percutaneous transfemoral approach. RESULTS: The mean patient age at the time of treatment was 51 years. Fifty-six courses of paclitaxel were delivered. The most common treatment-related toxicities were leukopenia, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. No procedure-related complications were observed. Three patients (30%) attained partial responses that lasted for 6 months, 7 months, and 48 months; and 4 other patients had stable disease for 5 months to 9 months. One patient underwent liver resection after receiving hepatic arterial infusions of paclitaxel and remained disease free for 48 months. Eight patients had received prior systemic taxane therapy alone or with other cytotoxic agents. However, no association between previous taxane exposure and the efficacy of the current regimen was established. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic intra-arterial therapy with paclitaxel at the dose level and on the schedule used in this study was safe and well tolerated and had reasonable antitumor activity against breast carcinoma involving the liver. Previous taxane exposure did not hamper the potential benefit of this approach. This regimen alone or in combination with targeted therapies deserves further investigation in patients with dominant liver metastases from breast carcinoma.

Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer: a concise overview.

Patients with colorectal cancer commonly succumb to the sequelae of hepatic metastases. Response to systemic therapy is inadequate. Hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) exposes liver metastases to high local concentrations of drug. Herein, we review the randomized trials of HAI in colorectal cancer. Data for this review were identified by searches of MEDLINE and references from relevant articles using the search terms "infusion intra-arterial" and "colorectal cancer." Abstracts and reports from meetings were included only when they related directly to previously published work. Only papers published in English between 1966 and 2003 were included. Randomized trials (5-fluorouracil- (5-FU-) or fluordeoxyuridine- (FUDR-) based regimens) often demonstrated superior response rates for HAI as compared to systemic chemotherapy (primary treatment or post-resection). Enhanced survival has, however, shown only when HAI was combined with systemic chemotherapy in the post-resection setting. For 5-FU-based and perhaps other regimens, randomized trials of combined regional and systemic therapy versus systemic treatment alone may be needed in order to determine whether or not there is a survival advantage after HAI in unresectable patients, as has been recently demonstrated in resectable patients. A variety of agents other than 5-FU have also been given by HAI to patients with liver metastases from diverse cancers. Such regional therapy often yields encouraging response rates and impact on survival therefore merits investigation.