Dose-Dependency of Hepatocellular Necrosis in a Canine Model of Chemoembolization

Abstract

The degree of local tissue toxicity from hepatic arterial chemoembolization relative to the dose of anticancer drugs was evaluated in 13 dogs. Animals were divided into four groups. Group 1 was the control group in which embolization was performed with gelatin sponge particles only (n = 4); group 2 animals underwent embolization with 0.4 mg/kg of Adriamycin (ADR) and 0.2 mg/kg of mitomycin C (MMC) (n = 4); group 3, with 0.8 mg/kg of ADR and 0.4 mg/kg of MMC (n = 2); and group 4, with 1.6 mg/kg of ADR and 0.8 mg/kg of MMC (n = 3). Animals were killed 1 week after embolization, and histopathologic evaluation was performed. The average percentage liver necrosis in the embolized lobe was 0% in group 1, 1% in group 2, 85% in group 3, and 92% in group 4. Hepatic arterial chemoembolization with high doses of anticancer drugs causes severe liver damage, but 0.4 mg/kg of ADR and 0.2 mg/kg of MMC is relatively safe, causing only minimal changes in this canine model.