[Intra-arterial infusion therapy with angiotensin II in gastric carcinoma]

This report describes the clinical use of MMC localized intra-arterial infusion therapy in combination with Angiotensin II for advanced gastric carcinoma which is not surgically treatable, along with some basic considerations. Since blood vessels regenerated within a tumor no longer have automatic adjustment of blood flow, there is no vascular contraction mechanism operation even when Angiotensin II is administered. The blood flow within the tumor shows a relative increase so the amount of the carcinostatic substance reaching the tumor is considered to increase. Using MMC intra-arterial infusion together with Angiotensin II, the authors were able to increase the antitumorigenic effect of the carcinostatic agent in patients with advanced gastric carcinoma. In an experiment using VX2 tumor transplanted into domesticated rabbits, the group treated with angiotensin II showed a marked reduction in the tumor. At the clinical level, differentiated gastric carcinoma patients with liver metastases very often evidenced favorable effects when treated with Angiotensin II in combination with the MMC intra-arterial infusion method. A randomized clinical study of 30 patients using either Angiotensin II together or without intraarterial infusion revealed that in 4 advanced gastric carcinoma patients could PR be obtained by the combination therapy, the non-combination treated group showed no favorable effects. In Borrmann type IV gastric carcinoma, the present combination therapy displayed no effect, while a switch to MTX-5FU sequential therapy yielded very often good results. Since the ability of the agent to reach the tumor is markedly enhanced in the Angiotensin II-intraarterial infusion approach to chemotherapy, progress in the latter science is anticipated.