Regional chemotherapy for carcinoma of the lung

The potential benefit of regional chemotherapy is to reach high local drug concentrations in the treated area by reducing systemic side effects. Today, different application forms are available, such as intra-arterial infusion, sometimes in form of chemoembolization; intracavitary application techniques, such as intrapleural infusion or intraperitoneal perfusion; and isolated perfusion techniques, such as extremity perfusion or pelvic stop-flow perfusions. Up to now, only a few of these techniques have reached a level of standardization combined with an efficacy superior to conventional systemic chemotherapy to be accepted as a standard treatment by the oncologic community. This article will deal with the problems of regional chemotherapy for the treatment of carcinoma of the lung.