[An experimental study on portal infusion of 5-fluorouracil (the second report)]

This study was conducted to clarify the role of continuous portal infusion with 5-fluorouracil (FU) from two different standpoints. Experiment I (Assessment of the ability to reduce hepatic metastasis): Male Donryu rats (180-210 g) receiving intraportal inoculation of ascites hepatoma AH 60 C (4 x 10(6) cells) were divided into 3 groups; portal infusion group, venous infusion group and control. 5-FU (20 mg/kg/day) was continuously infused via either the portal vein or the femoral vein with heparin (100 U/kg/day) for 5 consecutive days. The portal infusion group alone showed a significant decrease in hepatic tumor volume on day 21 and prolonged survival time. Experiment II (Evaluation of the immunological effects): Animals without inoculation of AH 60 C were also randomized in the same way as Experiment I. There were no statistical differences among the 3 groups in total leukocyte counts, lymphocyte subpopulations or NK activities in the spleen, whereas hepatic NK activity was significantly decreased in the portal infusion group. Continuous portal infusion with 5-FU is considered effective to prevent lodging of tumor cells in the intra-hepatic portal system but might be disadvantageous for hepatic cellular immunity.