Combined intra-arterial actinomycin D and radiation therapy for surgically unresectable hypernephroma

One primary goal of preoperative radiotherapy for hypernephroma is to reduce the volume of tumor and, therefore, improve the possibility of resection. It is important that this goal be accomplished promptly so that 4 to 6 weeks after radiation therapy nephrectomy can be attempted. A longer waiting period may allow fibrosis of the normal surrounding tissues and make surgery more difficult. In addition, longer waiting periods could theoretically increase the probability of metastasis. Therefore, we plan to continue clinical investigation on the use of combined intra-arterial actinomycin D and radiotherapy as a possible useful means of improving the possibility of prompt surgical resection, since theoretically this regimen may be a method of increasing the effective radiation dose to the hypernephroma without increasing the effective radiation dose to surrounding normal tissue, such as bowel. The method may also have merit as an improved means of palliating selected patients with metastases who are symptomatic from a bulky primary hypernephroma.