Concomitant radiation therapy and constant infusion FUdR for unresectable hepatic metastases

Ten patients with unresectable liver metastases from intraabdominal primary malignancies were treated with combined hepatic irradiation and hepatic artery infusion with FUdR using an Infusaid pump. The median survival for the entire group was 10 months. Four (40%) demonstrated an objective response to treatment: Three patients had a decrease in tumor mass on computed tomography (CT) scan, and one patient had a reduction in liver size as measured by palpation. The survival of two of the three patients whose tumor size was observed to be reduced on CT scan was significantly longer than that of the rest of the group (23, 37, and 12 months). Treatment was generally well tolerated with only mild side effects. Morbidity from chemotherapy did not appear to be enhanced by combination with hepatic irradiation. This form of treatment, although it has not demonstrated improved survival compared with other treatments in this setting, may be considered for adjuvant therapy in patients with hepatic metastases.