[Direct current therapy with chemotherapy for the local control of lung cancer]

Direct current therapy (DC therapy), consisting of the application of electric current directly to the lesion, with chemotherapy using BLM was performed in 4 advanced inoperable lung cancer patients in whom chemotherapy and radiotherapy were not effective or could not be performed. Fluoroscopically two electrodes were inserted percutaneously into the tumor under local anesthesia. The distance between the two electrodes was about 3-4 cm. About 10 volts of direct current for 1 hour (totally over 40 coulombs) was passed between them using a DC treatment processor model 85 (Inter Nova Co., Ltd.), and simultaneously 15-30 mg of BLM was administered intravenously according to the general condition of the patient. The histologic type was adenocarcinoma in 3 cases and there was 1 large cell carcinoma. This treatment was performed once in 3 cases and twice in another. A reduction of tumor size was recognized in 3 cases (2 adenocarcinomas and 1 large cell carcinoma). In another adenocarcinoma case it was not measurable in size because of infiltrative shadow but histologically tumor destruction was recognized within a short period after DC therapy. The complications were mainly slight fever and light pain during the procedure. There was one small amount of hemoptysis and one pneumothorax but it was not necessary to perform special treatment for these complications. DC therapy with chemotherapy is based on our basic experimental experience that some anticancer agents accumulate around the electrodes in lung tissue when direct current is passed. In addition, current itself has cytocidal effects in some cases. Our clinical experience suggested the usefulness of this therapy to treat lung cancer lesions locally.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)