Evaluation of hepatic artery occlusion after intra-arterial infusion of SMANCS in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

: Although intra-arterial infusion of SMANCS is effective for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, injury of the hepatic artery is occasionally encountered. We analyzed 78 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who received intraarterial infusion of SMANCS. Twenty-seven patients who were treated by epirubicin were used as a control. Complete occlusion of the right hepatic artery was induced in 15 patients who received SMANCS infusion. The average number of administrations was 1.9 in the occluded group, 1.5 in the non-occluded group, and 1.6 in the epirubicin group. There was no statistically significant difference in the dose of drugs in a single session between the three groups (3.5 +/- 1.5 ml in the occluded group, 3.6 +/- 1.5 ml in the non-occluded group and 4.2 +/- 1.2 ml in the epirubicin group), and there was no statistically significant difference in total dose between the three groups (6.8 +/- 2.6 ml in the occluded group, 5.5 +/- 3.6 ml in the non-occluded group and 6.8 +/- 4.3 ml in the epirubicin group). However, total dose per tumor volume was significantly larger in the occluded group (1.1 +/- 1.0 cm3) than in the non-occluded group (0.5 +/- 0.5 cm3) (p < 0.05). Excess infusion of SMANCS for small hepatocellular carcinomas appears to be an important factor in vascular injury.