Transarterial chemoembolization using cisplatin powder in a rabbit model of liver cancer

The purpose of this study was to investigate the pharmacological advantages of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with cisplatin powder for hypervascular hepatic tumors in animal experiments. VX2 tumors were transplanted to the livers of nine rabbits. Cisplatin (1 mg/kg) was infused into the proper hepatic artery. In the cisplatin-HAI group, cisplatin solution was infused. In the cisplatin-GS-TACE group, after infusion of cisplatin solution, gelatin sponge particles were used for embolization. In the cisplatin-Lp-TACE group, after infusion of a cisplatin powder and lipiodol (10 mg/ml) suspension, gelatin sponge particles were used for embolization. Before and after administration, platinum concentrations in plasma were measured. Using liver specimens that were excised 60 min after infusion, platinum concentrations in tumorous and nontumorous liver tissues were measured. The mean platinum concentration in tumorous tissue was 0.88 mu g/ml for the cisplatin-HAI group, 1.23 mu g/ml for the cisplatin-GS-TACE group, and 12.65 mu g/ml for the cisplatin-Lp-TACE group. The platinum concentration for the cisplatin-Lp-TACE group was significantly higher than that for the cisplatin-HAI group (p = 0.004) and the cisplatin-GS-TAE group (p = 0.004). The mean platinum concentration in nontumorous liver tissue was 0.98 mu g/ml for the cisplatin-HAI group, 1.13 mu g/ml for the cisplatin-GS-TACE group, and 1.09 mu g/ml for the cisplatin-Lp-TACE group; no significant differences were seen. At both 5 and 10 min after infusion, the platinum concentrations for the cisplatin-Lp-TACE group were lower than those for the other two groups. The present results suggest that TACE using cisplatin powder/lipiodol suspension and gelatin sponge for hypervascular hepatic tumors has a number of pharmacological advantages.