抄録
Fifty-five cases of malignant neoplasm of the head and neck were treated with the intra-arterial infusion of anti-cancer drugs. Clinico-pathological studies of these cases have justified the following conclusions.
1) The retrograde insertion of a catheter from the superficial temporal artery is the best approach for neoplasm of the head and neck. The tip of the catheter should be placed at the entrance of the artery which supply the tumorbearing area. The direct catheterization in the local artery is unfavorable because of frequent failures in holding the catheter in place and various complications.
2) Exact placement of the catheter can be confirmed by angiography, an injection of Patent Blue solution gives confirmation that the drug can be distributed in the tumor-bearing area by staining the mucosa and/or skin. These two procedures should be done before the actual infusion of the drug.
3) The intra-arterial infusion of anti-cancer drugs is much more effective when associated with irradiation than when used alone.
4) Among: various drugs, 5 - Fluorouracil is the most effective at this moment. Histological and clinical investigations revealed that 4, 000 mg of 5- Fluorouracil combined with 3, 500 rads 60Co irradiation was comparable to 60Co irradiation of 5, 000 to 6, 000 rads alone.
5) The present technique can be effectively applied to tumors of the regions supplied by any branches of the external carotid artery distal to the superior thyroid artery. Especially, for cancer of the maxilla, the intra-arterial infusion of 5-Fluorouracil combined with irradiation is extremely effective being superior to any other treatments.
