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Palliation of hepatic metastasis
Author(s) -
Sherman David M.,
Weichselbaum Ralph,
Order Stanley E.,
Cloud Lawrence,
Trey Charles,
Piro Anthony J.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197805)41:5<2013::aid-cncr2820410549>3.0.co;2-t
Subject(s) - medicine , chemotherapy , concomitant , complication , metastasis , surgery , radiation therapy , palliative care , palliative treatment , palliative chemotherapy , cancer , nursing
Between 1971 and 1975,55 patients underwent palliative radiation therapy for symptomatic hepatic metastasis. Most patients received 2400 rad in 300 rad fractions to the entire liver. There were 31 patients who received concomitant chemotherapy, and 14 who were prior chemotherapy failures. Ninety percent of the patients with symptomatic pain and liver enlargment and significant palliation of their symptoms. The median survival of the entire group was 4.5 months, while those patients experiencing an excellent response (21) had a median survival of 9 months. The median survival of patients having an excellent response to radiation is comparable to that of patients having regional arterial chemotherapy while incuring fewer complications. The overall complication rate of those patients completing therapy (50) was 12%.