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№4' 2016
ONCOLOGYInternational Medical Journal, Vol. 22., Iss. 4, 2016, P. 51−56.
INTRA-ARTERIAL CHEMOTHERAPY IN TREATMENT OF HEAD AND NECK CANCER: 65 YEARS OF APPLICATION. ANY VERDICT?
M. Gorky Donetsk National Medical University
Kramatorsk Cancer Hospital, Ukraine
Malignant tumors of the head and neck are extremely important problem of modern oncology. However, there is still no correct and optimal approach to the treatment of such patients. One of the ways to improve the results of treatment is intra−arterial chemotherapy, which was introduced in 1950 by American oncologists as a part of palliative treatment in combination with radiation therapy. With the advent of implantable subcutaneous ports the interest in this technique has increased significantly. Many authors have noted reduction in complications associated with arterial approach; different options of catheterization have been suggested. Introduction to the clinical practice of angiography and CT angiography has improved the performance and simplified certain aspects of intra−arterial chemotherapy. Despite the 60−year period of its use, randomized prospective studies that would objectively demonstrate the benefits of intra−arterial chemotherapy are lacking. At the meantime, the number of publications about this technique in malignant tumors of the head and neck allow to consider it an effective and prospective method, which requires further study.
Key words: intra−arterial chemotherapy, malignant tumors of head and neck, squamous cell head and neck cancer, combination treatment.