Background: In order to assess the efficacy of repeated hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, we administered HAI therapy using 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin and mitomycin C, with an implanted drug delivery system.
Methods and results: Thirty-seven patients received HAI therapy with a response rate of 21.6%. The 6-month and 1-year survival rates were 67.6 and 29.7%, respectively. Responders to HAI therapy showed significantly longer survival than non-responders, while patients with mild liver dysfunction tended to survive longer than those with severe dysfunction. Neither tumour thrombosis of the main trunk of the portal vein nor extrahepatic metastases were considered to constitute contraindications for HAI therapy. Catheter-related trouble occurred in eight patients and biloma in one patient, but other side effects were transient and tolerable. These patients received HAI therapy as outpatients for an average of 79.6% of the entire course of therapy.
Conclusions: Hepatic arterial infusion therapy proved effective for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in terms of improving survival and outpatient rates.