[Intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy for liver metastases from breast cancer]

Twelve patients with liver metastases of breast cancer were treated with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy using 20-30 mg/body of epi-adriamycin (epi-ADM) every 2 weeks and continuous infusion of 250 mg/body/day of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). All patients were followed by systemic chemo-endocrine therapy with oral administration of 600-1,200 mg/day of me droxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) alone or with 600-800 mg/day of 5'-deoxy-5-flurouridine (5'-DFUR). The response rate was 41.7% (5/12 cases). Duration of response was 2-28 months (mean 10 months). At one year, the survival rate was 46.8% (Kaplan-Meier method). As for side effects, gastrointestinal disturbance, bone marrow depression and alopecia were mild. These results suggest that hepatic arterial infusion therapy in combination with MPA is safe and effective for controlling liver metastases of breast cancer.