Percutaneous vs. surgical placement of hepatic artery indwelling catheters for regional chemotherapy

Intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy based on floxuridine infusion is an effective treatment for hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer. The aim of the present study is the comparative analysis of surgical and percutaneous transaxillary approaches to implant a catheter into the hepatic artery for intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy with floxuridine.

Fifty-six patients received an arterial device for intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy. Twenty-eight patients (LPT group) underwent laparotomy to implant the catheter into the hepatic artery, the other 28 patients (PCT group) received a percutaneous catheter into the hepatic artery through a transaxillary percutaneous access. Safety and efficacy of surgical and percutaneous transaxillary approaches were comparatively analyzed in terms of number of intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy cycles administered, device-related complications causing suppression of intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy, and biological costs of the procedures.

Mean postoperative hospitalization was 8.2 +/- 2.2 days in the LPT group and 1.8 +/- 0.7 days in the PCT group (P < 0.0001), while mean analgesic requirements were 9.7 +/- 3.2 doses in the LPT group and 2 +/- 0.9 doses in the PCT group (P < 0.0001). Mean number of intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy cycles administered was 6.5 +/- 4.2 in the LPT group and 4.3 +/- 3.4 in the PCT group (P = 0.038). The overall incidence of device-related complications causing suppression of intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy was 42.7% in the PCT group and 7.1% in the LPT group (P = 0.005).

Surgical implantation is still recommended when laparotomy has to be performed for other contextual procedures, such as colorectal or hepatic resection, while percutaneous transaxillary catheter placement is indicated for palliative or neoadjuvant intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy.