CLINICAL INVESTIGATION ON PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC HEPATIC CANCER

Abstract

Forty-one patients having liver metastasis from gastric cancer experienced in a recent 5-year period were compared to sixty patients having liver metastasis from colorectal cancer experienced in the same period, and the following findings were obtained. 1) Among cases of heterochronous liver metastasis from gastric cancer, a relatively large number of cases which could be actually of remnant cancer might be involved. 2) A relatively less significance of giving intraarterial infusion chemotherapy and hepatectomy was confirmed for cases of synchrnous liver metastasis from gastric or colorectal cancer. 3) Intraarterial infusion chemotherapy was effective for heterochronous liver metastases from gastric or colorectal cancer, especially for those from heterochronous colorectal cancer, where the survival rate was comparable to that of hepatectomy. 4) In terms of changes in tumor markers and diminishing rate of tumor size, it was hard to say that the intraarterial regimen can provide satisfactory outcome. For that, further problems might lie in the kind, dose, and route of drugs administered. 5) A long survival can be expected by hepatectomy followed by intraarterial regimen, and no direct deaths due to recurrence in the remnant liver have been experienced. From these findings, the usefulness of posthepatectomy intraarterial regimen was confirmed again. It is thought that further consideration on possible lung metastasis and peritoneal recurrence is mandatory.