Two years ago the perfusion technique was introduced in the treatment of malignant melanomas of the extremity. The method involved perfusing a limb with a cancerocidal agent by means of an extracorporeal pump-oxygenator. This method allowed high concentrations of the drug to reach the involved extremity without the side-effects which accompany systemic administration of such agents. More recently this technique has been adapted to neoplasms of the lung, breast, pelvic organs, and rectum. A summary of the total experience with 75 cases appears elsewhere1; this report is concerned with 18 cases of adenocarcinoma.
Patient Material
Eighteen patients were included in this series, There were nine patients with carcinoma of the breast, four with carcinoma of the rectum, two with carcinoma of the ovary, two with metastatic carcinoma in an extremity, and one with endometrial carcinoma.The patients with carcinoma of the breast selected for perfusion treatment fell into two