Isolated liver perfusion for liver metastases: pharmacokinetic advantage?

The pharmacokinetic advantage of a novel system to noninvasively isolate the hepatic venous outflow and infuse high doses of chemotherapy (doxorubicin or 5-FU) is discussed and compared with intravenous infusion and intra-arterial infusion without hepatic venous detoxification. This dose intensification schema may provide new pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles for the treatment of a variety of tumors metastasizing the liver, including melanoma, sarcoma, and adenocarcinoma.