Intrahepatic or Systemic Infusion of Fluorodeoxyuridine in Patients with Liver Metastases from Colorectal Carcinoma: A Randomized Trial

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of direct hepatic arterial chemotherapy with systemic chemotherapy in patients with liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma. DESIGN: Randomized trial with crossover allowed from systemic to intrahepatic therapy if tumor progression occurred on systemic therapy. SETTING: Academic medical center, referral-based clinic. PATIENTS: One hundred sixty-two patients with hepatic metastases from colorectal carcinoma agreed to be randomly assigned to treatment groups. At laparotomy, 63 were excluded from the study: 25 had hepatic resection; 33, extrahepatic disease; 1, infection; and 4, no tumor. INTERVENTION: Fourteen-day continuous infusion of fluorodeoxyuridine each month using an infusaid pump (0.3 and 0.15 mg/kg body weight X d in the intrahepatic and systemic arms, respectively). MAIN RESULTS: Intrahepatic therapy produced a significantly higher complete and partial response rate, 50%, compared with 20% for systemic therapy (p = 0.001). After tumor progression, 60% of the systemic patients crossed over to intrahepatic therapy; 25% then had a partial response, and 33% a minor response or stabilization of disease on intrahepatic therapy. Toxicity included ulcer disease (17%) and biliary sclerosis (8%) in patients receiving intrahepatic therapy and diarrhea (70%) in patients receiving systemic therapy. Extrahepatic disease occurred in 56% and 37% of the patients in the intrahepatic and systemic groups, respectively (p = 0.092). The median survivals were 17 and 12 months, for the intrahepatic and systemic groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: When compared with systemic therapy, hepatic arterial chemotherapy significantly increases response rate for hepatic metastases from colorectal carcinoma and appears to be a more effective treatment.