Comparison of upper arm port and peripherally inserted central venous catheter for outpatient chemotherapy of head and neck cancer

Abstract

Due to an increasing number of patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer receiving long-term chemotherapy, the demand for a safe vascular access device（VAD） is increasing. We analyzed the safety of VADs including a peripherally inserted central venous catheter（PICC） and upper arm port in outpatients receiving chemotherapy. Thirteen cases in the upper arm port group and 27 cases in the PICC group were examined. There were no significant differences in patient background and treatment between the upper arm port and PICC groups. The complication rate was significantly lower in the upper arm port group（0％, 0/1000 catheter days） than in the PICC group（30％, 1.8/1,000 catheter days）（p ＝ 0.037）. The complications of the PICC were four cases of catheter occlusion, two cases of thrombosis, one case of catheter-related bloodstream infection, and one case of accidental removal. The upper arm port is a safe VAD, and it is probably useful for long-term chemotherapy in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer.