Isolated hepatic perfusion: Experimental evidence and clinical utility

Many patients with tumors confined to the liver are not amenable for surgical resection, and an increasing number of these patients are treated by local ablation methods. Isolated hepatic perfusion is another treatment option especially suitable for patients with multiple or bulky primary or metastatic tumors, and can mediate clinical regression of advanced liver metastases. Experience with IHP is still limited to a few centers in the world because of its technical difficulties, surgery-related morbidity, and unproven efficacy. IHP remains an experimental modality restricted to specialized units dedicated to treating this difficult group of patients. Experimental animal IHP models have led us to explore new ways of improving efficacy, reducing technical difficulties, and minimizing regional and systemic toxicity. Future research should be directed to the identification of suitable biological or chemotherapeutic agents, defining clinical indications, and development of technical modifications to make it more generally applicable.