[Gastric cancer with liver metastasis effectively treated by intra-hepatic arterial infusion]

The prognosis of gastric cancer with liver metastasis is very poor. Because many gastric cancers with liver metastasis have multiple metastatic tumors in the liver, and the indication for surgical resection is rare. Moreover, the non-curative factors of many cases are not only liver metastasis but also are lymph node metastasis and peritoneal dissemination. However, some authors have reported gastric cancer with liver metastasis was treated effectively by intra-hepatic infusion of an anti-cancer drug. In this article, we report three cases of gastric cancer with liver metastasis that are treated effectively by intra-hepatic arterial infusion of an anti-cancer drug. There were no non-curative factors except liver metastasis. The first was a H3 case treated effectively by intra-hepatic arterial infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), mitomycin C (MMC) and peroral administration of 5-FU. The metastatic liver tumors had disappeared in 14 weeks. However, the patient eventually died of liver and brain metastases in 7 months after the therapy. The second was a H2 case treated effectively by intra-hepatic arterial infusion of CDDP and peroral administration of 5'-DFUR and PSK. The metastatic liver tumors had disappeared in 4 months, and the patient is still alive without recurrence in 35 months after surgery. The third was a H2 case treated effectively by intra-hepatic arterial infusion of cisplatin (CDDP) and peroral administration of TS-1 and PSK. The size of metastatic nodules had increased, and Virchow lymph node metastasis had appeared in 28 months after surgery. The patient eventually died in 32 months after surgery. These results suggested that intra-hepatic arterial infusion of CDDP with peroral administration of TS-1 or 5'-DFUR was an effective therapy for gastric cancer with liver metastasis.