Surgical or percutaneous hepatic artery cannulation for chemotherapy.

The principle underlying administration of hepatic arterial chemotherapy (HACT) is to increase the local concentration of cytotoxic chemotherapy while limiting systemic toxicity. The chemotherapy agent is infused into the hepatic artery distal to branches that serve the stomach, duodenum, and pancreas. The intra-arterial catheter is connected to a subcutaneously implanted reservoir to allow repeated sessions of chemotherapy. Percutaneous placement is now a reliable and reproducible technique in the hands of well-trained interventional radiologists. Hepatic arterial cannulation by an open surgical approach is currently reserved for cases where the decision for HACT is made in the course of an hepatic surgical procedure.