Arterial infusion chemotherapy is a particular form of chemotherapy, which delivers a drug directly into an artery to obtain a high local concentration of the drug in the organ supplied by the artery. The chemotherapeutic agents infused by this method are most commonly used for anti-cancer treatment.
Compared to intravenous administration, chemotherapy by arterial infusion can provide a better regional anti-tumor effect with fewer side effects. However, the catheter must be inserted into the artery supplying the target organ. Thus, for a patient to receive repeated administration of an anti-cancer agent without hospitalization, an indwelling arterial catheter system must be used, and an intra-arterial implantable port is well suited for this.
The implantation of a port and catheter system for arterial infusion chemotherapy must be performed by skilled and experienced physicians with knowledge of this type of procedure and treatment. While arterial infusion chemotherapy is most commonly used for the treatment of liver tumors, it is also used for cancers of other organs located in the head and neck, pancreas, limb, and pelvis.