Effective intra-arterial chemotherapy for acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas

A 41-year-old man with a huge pancreatic tumor (acinar cell carcinoma) was treated by intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), mitomycin C (MMC) and cisplatin (CDDP). The tumor was significantly reduce d, and he underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy with complete excision of the tumor, Unfortunately multiple metastatic liver tumors were noted 5 months after resection. These tumors could also be markedly reduced by intra-arter ial chemotherapy and the survival period was prolonged to 18 months. He sud denly died of sepsis but not from the pancreatic carcinoma. This case shows that intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy with 5-FU, MMC and CDDP can be a n effective regimen for the treatment of acinar cell carcinoma of the pancr eas.