OBJECTIVE RESPONSES AFTER FRACTIONATED INFUSIONAL BRACHYTHERAPY OF UNRESECTABLE PANCREATIC ADENOCARCINOMAS

BACKGROUND, The prognosis of unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma is poor. Therefore, the treatment potential of an intratumoral infusiona l brachytherapy using macroaggregated human albumin in combination wit h radioactive chromic phosphate [P-32] was investigated in this group of patients. METHODS, Seventeen patients with unresectable tumors rece ived intratumoral infusional brachytherapy. Treatment and assessment o f response was performed with the aid of ultrasonography. RESULTS, Fou r patients had complete response with a duration ranging from 2 - 57 w eeks and 5 patients had partial response with a duration ranging from 4 - 21 weeks, corresponding to an objective response of 53% (9 of 17 p atients). Six of these patients were alive 33 - 57 weeks after treatme nt. Radiation necrosis was observed in 1 patient after a 19,000-gray c umulative radiation dose and a slight decrease in blood counts was obs erved in 2 patients. CONCLUSIONS, Intratumoral infusional brachytherap y using radioactive colloidal chromic phosphate has the potential to r educe inoperable pancreatic tumors with few side effects. (C) 1997 Ame rican Cancer Society.