[Intra-arterial infusion of oncostatics in recurrent cervical carcinoma]

Five cases of recurrent cervical carcinoma with restricted recurrent site in the pelvis were treated with intra-arterial infusion of oncostatics via the internal iliac artery. The tip of the catheter was put in the internal iliac artery, just proximal to the superior glutea artery, through the a. glutea inferior or superior with ligation of both the a. glutea superior and inferior so as to get a high concentration of drugs at the lesion. Several chemotherapeutic agents, such as Cisplatin, adriamycin, pepleomycin, mitomycin C and 5-FU, were infused through the other end of the catheter, which was fixed at the subclavian fossa of the anterior chest. The clinical efficacies according to Karnofsky's criteria were 0-C in one case, 1-A in 1 case and 1-B in 3 cases. The overall response rate above 1-B was 60%. Two cases were dead, one due to inflammation in the pelvic dead space and D.I.C. and other due to myocarditis and heart failure. The other three were alive and treated with weekly intra-arterial infusion at our outpatient clinic. No troubles, such as spontaneous removal of the catheter, inflammation around the catheter or bleeding, have been encountered. The toxicities in the case of intra-arterial infusion were less prominent than in the case of intravenous administration of the same dosage of the oncostatics.