B. caspani¹, P. cecconi², F. motta²; ¹Milano/IT, ²Milan/IT

Purpose
To show preliminary results in terms of morbidity using intraarterial injection of Mitomicin C during hypoxia in the hepatic artery

Material and methods
25 patients suffering from liver metastases were treated by infusion of 20-30 mg of MitomicinC directly in the hepatic artery, soon after inducing a short period of hypoxia by inflating a catheter balloon.After the infusion, a temporary embolization of hepatic bed was performed by means of gelatine sponge.Selection of Patients included performance status, refuse or no indications to surgery, signs of relapse during or following sistemic cht.

Results
In our series, we observed a post- procedure syndrome similar to the one described after chemioembolization. No sistemic effect were reported due to drug-toxicity. In one case death occurred short time after the therapy for apparently unrelated causes (brain stroke)CT control at one month showed in most cases reduce in volume of the tumor mass and decrease of specific markers.

Conclusion
In these preliminary results, intraarterial cht during hypoxia has shown low morbidity.Post-treatment studies seem to support its efficacy even though with palliative purposes in short and medium term.The impact on long-term survival needs further evaluation in comparison with sistemic chemiotherapy series.