[Chemoembolization of colorectal liver metastases]

In the Center of Surgery of the Justus-Liebig-University Giessen and in the General Hospital in Nuremberg from 1983 to 1987 21 patients with metastases of a colorectal carcinoma were treated with chemoembolization (CHE). The on average survival period of patients treated with chemoembolization after non-successful application of regional chemotherapy amounted to 6 months. The total survival period of these patients amounted to 17.4 months. Since March 1987 chemoembolization has been applied as initial therapy. The on average survival period of the patients, initially treated with cheomoembolization at present amounts to 14 months. 4 of these patients additionally got chemotherapy by the portal vein after CHE. The survival period of 2 patients, having been resected several times after CHE, at present comes to 27 months. These results are the base for a clinical study, in which CHE is combined with the portal venous infusion of a cytostatic agent (Folin acid 5-FU).