Evaluation of the Effects of Hepatic Arterial Infusion and Transcatheter Arterial Embolization Therapy for Metastatic Colorectal Liver Cancers on the Differences in Vascularity of the Hepatic Metastases

Naotaka Kadoya, Ryouhei Izumi, Hisashi Hirosawa, Wataru Fukushima, Keiichi Muraoka, Hiroshi Itoh, Itsuro Terada, Tohru Yamazaki and Kouji Amaya

Department of Surgery Toyama City Hospital

The effectiveness of hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) and transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) as therapy for metastatic colorectal liver cancers was evaluated by comparing differences in metastatic vascularity on hepatic angiography and computed tomography during hepatic angiography (CT-A) before treatments. Twenty-two patients underwent HAI and/or TAE for unresectable metastatic colorectal liver cancers. The vascularity of the hepatic metastases was investigated by hepatic angiography and CT-A. Eight patients (66.7%) responded with rich arterial blood supply was significantly (p=0.007) more than one patient (10%) responded with poor arterial blood supply. One-year, 2-year and 3-year survival rate in the 12 patients with rich arterial blood supply were 91.7%, 46.3%, 13.9%, respectively, and were significantly (p=0.019) better than that (33.3%, 11.1%, 11.1%, respectively) in 10 patients with poor arterial blood supply. These findings suggest that good response and better patient survival is provided, when the vascularity of metastatic lesions is rich. CT-A and hepatic angiography are useful in determining the indication of HAI and TAE for metastatic liver cancers.

Key words
colorectal cancer, liver metastasis, arterial blood supply of liver metastasis, hepatic arterial infusion therapy, transcatheter arterial embolization therapy

Reprint requests
Naotaka Kadoya Department of Surgery, Toyama City Hospital 2-1 Imaizumi-hokubumachi, Toyama, 939-8075 JAPAN

Accepted
June 28, 2000

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