S. Casillas et al., PERFUSION TO COLORECTAL-CANCER LIVER METASTASES IS NOT UNIFORM AND DEPENDS ON TUMOR LOCATION AND FEEDING VESSEL, The Journal of surgical research, 67(2), 1997, pp. 179-185
Future effective therapies for hepatic metastases may depend on a bett
er understanding of perfusion to these tumors. The purpose of this pro
ject was to define blood flow to colorectal cancer liver metastases us
ing quantitative autoradiography (QAR). Liver tumors were established
in F-1 hybrids of WF x BN rats by intrasplenic injection of a DMH-indu
ced rat colon adenocarcinoma. Rats underwent laparotomy 4-5 weeks late
r and [C-14]iodoantipyrine (a radiotracer) was infused via the hepatic
artery (HA) or portal vein (PV). Livers were harvested, frozen in liq
uid nitrogen, and sectioned at 20 mu m through all tumors. QAR compare
d optical density of cross sections of tumors to surrounding normal li
ver tissue. Tumor:liver perfusion ratios (T/L PR) and tumor center:tum
or periphery perfusion ratios (C/P PR) were calculated. All groups wer
e analyzed with regard to tumor location and size. Seventy-seven tumor
s in 6 rats in the HA infusion group were analyzed; 74 tumors in 8 rat
s in the PV group were analyzed. Statistical analysis was by repeated
measures analysis of variance. Mean HA T/L PR = 0.97 +/- 0.13, mean PV
T/L PR = 0.25 +/- 0.11. Mean HA T/L PR for deep tumors was 1.38 +/- 0
.17 and for superficial tumors was 0.57 +/- 0.15 (P < 0.01). Mean HA T
/L PR for small tumors was 1.09 +/- 0.12 and for large tumors was 0.86
+/- 0.21 (P = 0.27). Mean PV T/L PR for deep tumors was 0.27 +/- 0.14
and for superficial tumors was 0.24 +/- 0.15 (P = 0.71). Mean PV T/L
PR for small tumors was 0.31 +/- 0.15 and for large tumors was 0.20 +/
- 0.14 (P = 0.54). Mean HA C/P PR = 1.15 +/- 0.15, mean PV C/P PR = 0.
81 +/- 0.14 (P = 0.06). Mean HA C/P PR for small tumors was 1.37 +/- 0
.16 and for large tumors was 0.92 +/- 0.17 (P = 0.01). Mean PV C/P PR
for small tumors was 0.78 +/- 0.18 and for large tumors was 0.72 +/- 0
.13 (P = 0.71). HA perfusion of tumors is significantly higher than PV
perfusion compared to surrounding normal liver tissue. HA perfusion v
aries significantly depending on tumor location. There was a trend tow
ard HA perfusion to the tumor center being slightly greater than to th
e periphery whereas the reverse was seen for PV perfusion. Tumor size
did not affect overall perfusion but it did affect regional HA tumor p
erfusion. (C) 1997 Academic Press.