[Anatomo-pathologic study of hepatic toxicity in intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy]

Intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy is effective in the treatment of colorectal or endocrine carcinomas liver metastasis. However it is potentially toxic for the healthy liver. To check this, we studied non tumoral liver specimens in 14 patients treated by intra-arterial chemotherapy with 5 fluorouracil, 5 fluoro-2 deoxyuridine and an association of 5 fluorouracil and streptozotocin. The main hepatic lesions observed were: sclerosing cholangitis, central vein (dilatation and fibrosis) and moderate hepatocellular necrosis or cholestasis in the centrolobular area. Thus intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy has important toxic effects on healthy liver, even if clinical and biological liver disturbances are minimal in most cases. Caution must be exercised in using this method.