Abstract
The efficacy of the combined application of intrahepatoarterial (IHA) chemotherapy and regional hyperthermia for the treatment of unresectable hepatic tumours was studied in a case-matched, retrospective control study. Well-matched pairs of patients with the same or similar background factors, who had been treated with IHA chemotherapy plus hyperthermia (group A; n = 32) and with IHA chemotherapy alone (group B; n = 32) were included in this study. In group A, partial responses (PRs) were found in 2 of 8, 4 of 8, and 6 of 16 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic gastric cancer, and metastatic colorectal cancer, respectively. In group B, PRs were found in 1 of 8, 3 of 8, and 5 of 16 patients with those diseases, respectively. Overall, PRs were found in 12 (37%) and 9 (28%) of 32 patients in groups A and B, respectively; progressive disease was found in 6 (19%) in group A and in 12 (38%) in group B. These results indicate that this combination therapy is of therapeutic benefit in the treatment of unresectable hepatic tumours.