[Case report--postoperative continuous intraarterial infusion of small doses of 5-FU successfully controlled residual tumor and liver metastasis of stage IV gastric cancer]

Abstract

A sixty-eight-year-old man was operated on for Stage IV gastric cancer with total gastrectomy and D3 lymph node dissection. The right gastric artery was filled with tumor thrombosis, but tumor tissue was left on the cut stump. Intraoperative ultrasonic liver scanning revealed the suspected metastatic images. Mitomycin C 20 mg dissolved in glue was then pasted at the artery cut stump. Although intraarterial infusion of adriamycin 20 mg, systemic methotrexate + 5-FU alternative therapy and daily medication of UFT-E 400 mg were administered, liver metastasis developed in follow-up CT scans 6 months later. Since 9 months after operation,continuous intraarterial infusion of 5-FU 250 mg/24 hours for 7 days was given biweekly, and was repeated 44 times for the next 27 months. This chemotherapeutic modality purged the liver metastasis. The patient has now survived 7 years 3 months with no therapy.