Abstract
As described previously in various reports, in the treatment of cancer, the effect of life prolongation by intraarterial infusion may be less evident than that by systemic chemotherapy. Furthermore, most reports indicate that it is unlikely to be applicable to first-line chemotherapy as well as standard chemotherapy. Meanwhile, it is well known that intraarterial infusion therapy achieves a high response rate and has been widely recognized as treatment in addition to the standard chemotherapy (systemic chemotherapy).
Patients who undergo systemic chemotherapy have already been treated with high-dose anticancer agents, and they are more likely to be exposed to additional risks rendering them vulnerable to adverse events if they receive additional intraarterial infusions. Furthermore, some anticancer agents have a limited maximum dose. Such agents should not be used for intraarterial infusion if they have already been administered to patients for systemic chemotherapy. Among the anticancer agents, anthracycline, platinum anticancer agents, and mitomycin C have been commonly used for intraarterial infusion, but these agents may induce unique adverse reactions depending on the total dose.
