Tumoricidal effects and patient survival after hyperthermic liver perfusion
J. L. Skibba and E. J. Quebbeman
Hyperthermic liver perfusion for four hours at 42.0 degrees C to 42.5
degrees C was used as the sole modality of therapy for cancer confined to
the liver in eight patients. Two patients had melanoma, one had
cholangiolar carcinoma of the liver, and five had liver metastases from
colorectal carcinoma. Two postoperative deaths occurred, both in patients
with colorectal carcinoma metastases. Response was indicated by computed
tomographic and/or liver biopsy or autopsy findings of tumor necrosis.
There were five responders to hyperthermic liver perfusion among the six
survivors. Hyperthermic liver perfusion was an effective tumoricidal agent
for hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer; ie, tumor necrosis occurred
in all five patients, as well as in the two who died, as shown by autopsy
findings. Conversion to a disease-free state with hyperthermic perfusion
may be possible with other treatment modalities used in combination or
sequence.
