Superselective intraarterial infusion of carboplatin with concurrent radiotherapy and tegafur, which was administered per os, was performed on two patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. Seldinger's transfemoral technique was used, and the angiographic images of the external carotid artery were obtained. This was followed by a one-shot infusion of carboplatin into the vessels to feed the tumor.
Patient 1 with carcinoma of the tongue (T3N2bM0 stage IV) was treated with an intraarterial infusion of 700 mg carboplatin (450 mg for primary tumor, 250 mg for metastatic lymph nodes), an irradiation of 30 Gy, an 600 mg UFT per day. The patient showed complete response at the primary site, and there was no change in the metastatic lymph nodes. A histological examination of the resected specimens revealed no tumor cells at the primary site, but viable tumor cells were recognized in the lymph nodes.
Patient 2 with carcinoma of the buccal mucosa (T4N1M0 stage IV) was treated with an intraarterial infusion of 600 mg carboplatin, an irradiation of 60 Gy, and 400 mg UFT per day. The patient showed complete response both at the primary site and in the metastatic lymph node. Resection surgery was not performed.
Both patients showed no evidence of disease during the follow-up period of one year. As this method had a remarkable antitumor effect and slight adverse reactions, it was considered to be a good treatment method for advanced oral carcinomas. This method, however, needs special equipment and an experienced staff for arterial angiography, and its efficacy is unpredictable when an artery to feed the tumor is not found for a certainty.
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