Chemotherapy medications attack cancer cells by preventing their division or growth and causing cancer cell death. Intra-arterial chemotherapy is the delivery of chemotherapy to a specific area of the body through a catheter inserted into an artery. Intra-arterial therapy has existed for many decades, but its use increased in the 1980s with the invention of the implanted chemotherapy pump.
How and Why Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy
The first step in intra-atrterial chemotherapy is the insertion of a tiny catheter in the femoral artery in the groin, according to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. From there it is moved into the area of the tumor site. Chemotherapy infusion may last two to twenty-four hours, and patients must remain in bed during and after administration.
Unlike conventional chemotherapy delivery, intra-arterial chemotherapy reaches tumors more directly than chemotherapy given through the whole body. Because tumors can be directly targeted through intra-arterial chemotherapy, it is more effective and causes fewer side effects on the rest of the body.
Uses
Cancers that do not respond well to chemotherapy given through the whole body are good candidates for intra-arterial chemotherapy. Commonly treated cancers listed by the Chemotherapy Source Book include liver cancer, brain tumors, head, and neck cancers. Doctors have also experimented with giving intra-arterial chemotherapy to patients with breast, bladder, stomach, and lung cancers and sarcomas.
Chemotherapy Types
Chemotherapy medication choice is based on the type of tumor being treated with intra-arterial infusion. Liver cancers are typically treated with floxuridine. Carmustine, cisplatin, and broxuridine treat brain cancers called glioblastomas. According to the Chemotherapy Source Book, chemotherapy used to treat head and neck cancers include methotrexate, floxuridine, and a combination of fluorouracil and cisplatin.
Possible Side Effects
Intra-arterial chemotherapy decreases side effects felt by traditional chemotherapy infusion, however mild side effects can occur. These include nausea, vomiting, hair loss, mouth sores, risk for infection and/or bleeding, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, and numbness and tingling in hands and feet.
Risks
The Chemotherapy Source Book states that intra-arterial chemotherapy infusion is a difficult and complex therapy. Only highly trained oncologists perform this type of chemotherapy. Risks include misplacement of the catheter, clotting of the catheter once placed, and possibility of infection. Because the catheter enters the body in the groin area, walking and other activities increase the risk that the catheter will move inside the body.
References
- "The Chemotherapy Source Book"; Michael C. Perry, PhD.; 2007.
- Cancer Centers of America: Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy
- American Cancer Society: What Are the Different Way to Take Chemotherapy
