Vascular complications of isolated limb perfusion

Deep Venous Thrombosis of the Extremity Diagnosed by Color Doppler Ultrasonography after Isolated Limb Perfusion

Aim

Isolated limb perfusion (ILP) is used to treat locally advanced sarcoma and melanoma of the extremities. ILP is associated with a 1.7% to 10% incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT). The aim of the study was to examine the effect of ILP on the peripheral venous system and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of color Doppler ultrasonography (US).

Methods

A total of 26 patients with locally advanced sarcoma or melanoma of the extremities received a total of 38 ILP. The patients were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively by color Doppler US as a noninvasive venous measurement. We used a color Doppler US system (SSA-270A, Toshiba) with a 7.5-MHz linear transducer for gray-scale imaging and a 5-MHz vascular transducer for color Doppler imaging.

Results

Seventeen patients underwent single ILP while the others were treated with multiple ILPs. Color Doppler US showed a reflux flow in three (7.9%) patients and DVT occurred subsequently in these patients.

Conclusions

Color Doppler US is a noninvasive and clinically useful diagnostic technique in the diagnosis of extremity DVT. We recommend anticoagulant therapy in patients with reflux on ultrasonographic examination.

Vascular Complications following Isolated Limb Perfusion for Local Recurrence of Extremity Melanoma: A Case Report and Literature Review

Introduction. To evaluate the role of hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion (HILP) in arterial thrombosis following melanoma-soft tissue sarcoma chemotherapy. Report. Here is presented one case of iliac-common femoral artery subacute thrombosis and a review of the appropriate literature performed using a MEDLINE search. Acute/subacute arterial occlusion is one of the most feared vascular complications of HILP, located nearly always in the external iliac-femoral artery axis, being those vessels cannulated for perfusion. Conclusions. The small number of reported cases indicates either the rarity of this complication or unawareness of its existence. The true incidence of this complication is probably underreported.

Toxicities associated with hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion and isolated limb infusion in the treatment of melanoma and sarcoma

Hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion (HILP) and isolated limb infusion (ILI) may play a significant role in the treatment of patients with recurrent or in transit extremity melanoma or sarcoma that is unresectable. These procedures may be indicated when patients are otherwise faced with the possibility of a debilitating amputation. Not entirely benign treatment modalities, HILP and ILI can be associated with regional and systemic toxicities. We conducted a literature search of published studies using HILP and ILI for the treatment of extremity sarcomas and melanomas, and associated toxicities was performed. The regional toxicities of HILP and ILI are similar. The most common toxicities reported are mild to moderate. However, when severe regional toxicity occurs, albeit infrequently (<5%), fasciotomies or even amputation may be necessary. Some studies have showed a relationship between acute regional toxicities and long term regional morbidity. Systemic toxicity appears to be more frequent when TNF-alpha is used in combination with other drugs during HILP, however the use of TNF-alpha in the United States is limited to trials. Although regional toxicities are similar, systemic toxicity of ILI is minimal compared to HILP. ILI is easier to repeat, technically less complex, and may be more acceptable in infirmed patients. Long term morbidity and outcomes for ILI are still being evaluated. Both of these techniques may be suitable options in patients with unresectable advanced or recurrent, or in transit extremity melanoma or sarcoma.

Long-term locoregional vascular morbidity after isolated limb perfusion and external-beam radiotherapy for soft tissue sarcoma of the extremity

Background

Isolated limb perfusion (ILP) with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and melphalan, followed by delayed surgical resection and adjuvant external-beam radiotherapy is a limb salvage treatment strategy for locally advanced soft tissue sarcomas. The long-term vascular side effects of this combined procedure were evaluated.

Methods

Thirty-two patients were treated for a locally advanced sarcoma of the upper (n = 5) or lower limb (n = 27). All patients underwent a noninvasive vascular work-up.

Results

Five patients underwent a leg amputation, in two cases due to critical leg ischemia 10 years after ILP. With a median follow-up of 88 (range, 17–159) months, none of the patients with a salvaged lower leg (n = 22) experienced peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Ankle-brachial index (ABI) measurements in the involved leg (median, 1.02; range, .50–1.20) showed a significant decrease compared with the contralateral leg (median, 1.09; range, .91–1.36, P = .001). Pulsatility index (PI) was decreased in the treated leg in 17 of 22 patients at the femoral level (median, 6.30; range, 2.1–23.9 vs. median, 7.35; range, 4.8–21.9; P = .011) and in 19 of 20 patients at popliteal level (median, 8.35; range, 0–21.4 vs. median, 10.95; range, 8.0–32.6; P < .0005). In patients with follow-up of >5 years, there was more often a decrease in ABI (P = .024) and PI at femoral level (P = .011).

Conclusions

ILP followed by resection and external-beam radiotherapy can lead to major late vascular morbidity that requires amputation. Objective measurements show a time-related decrease of ABI and femoral PI in the treated extremity.

Rémission complète persistante d’une tumeur de Merkel avec métastases satellites après traitement par chimiothérapie locorégionale de type membre perfusé isolé

BACKGROUND

Primitive cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma or Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare tumor. It may be large since diagnosis is frequently delayed. The usual treatment is extensive surgical removal and radiotherapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A 69-year-old woman presented with a large Merkel cell carcinoma of the right leg. MRI showed a tumor invading the deep layers together with several satellite lesions. There was no regional nodal or visceral metastasis. Regional chemotherapy involving isolated limb perfusion with melphalan was performed in order to avoid amputation. Complete response was achieved a few months later and continues 5 and a half years later with minor sequelae comprising cutaneous sclerosis, pigmentation and mild ankle stiffness.

DISCUSSION

Only five cases of Merkel cell carcinoma treated with isolated limb perfusion are reported in the literature: four of these involved local relapse and one was a primary tumor with regional lymph node involvement. Only one patient was still in complete remission 18 months after treatment. Isolated limb perfusion chemotherapy could thus be indicated in the treatment of advanced Merkel cell carcinoma of a limb in the absence of bone or regional lymph node involvement.

Cardiac allograft acceptance after localized bone marrow transplantation by isolated limb perfusion in nonmyeloablated recipients

Donor-specific tolerance to cardiac grafts may be induced by hematopoietic chimerism. This study evaluates the potential of localized bone marrow transplantation (BMT) performed by isolated limb (IL) perfusion to induce tolerance to secondary cardiac grafts without myeloablative conditioning. BALB/c recipients (H2d) preconditioned with lethal and sublethal doses of busulfan were injected i.v. and IL with 10(7) whole bone marrow cells (wBMCs) from B10 donors (H2(b)). Two hours after IL infusion of PKH-labeled wBMCs into myeloablated hosts, there were few labeled cells in the host peripheral blood (p < 0.001 versus i.v.) and femurs of the infused limb contained 57% +/- 7% PKH-labeled blasts (p < 0.001 versus 8% +/- 0.6% after i.v.). Femurs of the noninfused limbs contained 60-70 PKH-labeled blasts (p < 0.001 versus i.v.-BMT) after 2 days and 47% +/- 5% of 0.32 x 10(7) donor cells (p < 0.001 versus 78% +/- 4% of 1.2 x 10(7) donor cells in infused femurs) after 4 weeks. The survival rates of myeloablated hosts were 90% and 80% after i.v. and IL infusion, respectively, and the chimeras had 78%-84% donor peripheral blood cells. In recipients conditioned with 35 mg/g busulfan, the levels of donor chimerism in peripheral blood were 33% +/- 4% and 21% +/- 4% at 3 weeks after i.v.- and IL-BMT, respectively. Transplantation of donor-matched (H2(b)) secondary vascularized hearts in these chimeras after 3 weeks resulted in graft survival for periods exceeding 8 weeks, while third-party (H2(k)) allografts were acutely rejected (p < 0.001 versus H2(b)). These data indicate that IL perfusion is a reliable alternative procedure for establishment of hematopoietic chimerism and donor-specific tolerance without myeloablative conditioning.

TNFalpha-based isolated perfusion for limb-threatening soft tissue sarcomas: state of the art and future trends

The management of limb-threatening soft tissue sarcomas has not yet been standardized. Although local disease control does not affect overall survival, amputation or highly mutilating surgery may be required, which impairs the patient's quality of life. Various neoadjuvant approaches have been proposed to allow limb-sparing surgery for these locally advanced tumors. With TNFalpha-based hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion, the majority of patients can be spared amputation, with acceptable rates of locoregional and systemic complications. As yet, no other available treatment seems to give comparable results when applied to limb-threatening soft tissue sarcomas. Nevertheless, several issues remain to be addressed, such as the type and dose of drugs, repeatability of the procedure, association with radiotherapy, further indications, and evaluation of response. The authors describe the principles underlying TNFalpha-based hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion, review the worldwide experience so far published, and discuss the above issues. The potential future developments of this locoregional therapeutic approach will also be reported.

Hypoxic pelvic and limb perfusion with melphalan and mitomycin C for recurrent limb melanoma: a pilot study

Hypoxic pelvic and limb perfusion by means of a balloon occlusion technique was evaluated in patients with recurrent melanoma of the lower limbs who were non-responders to isolated hyperthermic limb perfusion or who were not eligible for this procedure. A pilot study was performed in 17 patients, who underwent hypoxic pelvic and limb perfusion with 50 mg/m(2) of melphalan or 50 mg/m(2) of melphalan and 25 mg/m(2) of mitomycin C. Each procedure was followed by haemofiltration. A leakage monitoring study was performed in five of the 17 patients. The response rate and time to disease progression were the primary endpoints, with overall survival as the secondary endpoint. During the procedures there were no technical, haemodynamic or vascular complications, and no deaths occurred during surgery or in the postoperative period. Significant leakage (median 40%) was measured in the five patients studied. No severe systemic or regional toxicity was observed. After one course of treatment, the objective response rate was 47% (95% confidence interval 22.5-71.5%), the median time to disease progression was 10 months (range 2-40 months), and the 3 year overall survival was 20%. Hypoxic pelvic and limb perfusion seems to be a safe and effective treatment for patients with unresectable recurrent limb melanoma who are not eligible for isolated hyperthermic limb perfusion. Due to the non-homogeneity of the study, with some patients receiving a combination of melphalan and mitomycin C and others receiving only melphalan, it is not possible to make definite conclusions with regard to efficacy. Further studies are necessary to establish whether the response rates can be improved by using different drug regimens.

Isolated limb perfusion in locally advanced cutaneous melanoma

Isolated limb perfusion (ILP) is a well-established locoregional procedure to deliver high doses of cytostatics to an extremity with multiple in-transit lesions from cutaneous melanoma, with minimal systemic and mild local toxicity. This approach is quite sophisticated and requires accurate monitoring of systemic leakage and of the temperature of the affected limb in order to avoid major systemic and local side effects. Mephalan (L-PAM) is considered the reference drug, although complete responses are reported in only about 50% of patients. Since the early 1990s, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was administered with melphalan in ILP aiming to improve the therapeutic index of this procedure. However, despite the impressive results reported, its role still remains controversial, seemingly confined to large tumor bulk. Fotemustine ILP was proposed as a less toxic alternative to L-PAM, after the results of a pilot experience claiming similar response rates with less local toxicity. A formal phase 1-2 study is now underway to confirm these findings. More straightforward procedures, such as isolated limb infusion, are appealing, as they seem capable of achieving good response rates, are easily repeatable, and are less costly. Larger series are required to validate such results. As potential agents to be delivered through ILP, new vasoactive drugs and agents with new mechanisms of action that interplay with chemotherapy, as well as virus-mediated gene therapy, are being developed.

Hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion for extremity sarcomas

BACKGROUND

The treatment options available for extremity sarcomas are amputation or limb-sparing surgery with radiation, which may incur significant morbidity and body disfigurement. Hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion (HILP) may be an attractive option in extremity sarcomas for unresectable lesions to preserve limb function and maintain quality of life.

METHODS

We report the outcomes of 5 patients who underwent HILP for unresectable primary or recurrent extremity sarcomas from 1994 to 2000 at our institution.

RESULTS

All patients had initial complete clinical responses to HILP, and the limb was salvaged in 4 of the 5 patients. Complications included chronic lymphedema, neuropathic pain, and prolonged wound healing.

CONCLUSIONS

HILP with melphalan is a safe and effective treatment option for selected patients with locally advanced and unresectable extremity sarcomas. The response rates are high, with limb salvage occurring in most patients. Further studies of larger groups of patients are warranted.

Limb desmoid tumors: a possible role for isolated limb perfusion with tumor necrosis factor-alpha and melphalan

BACKGROUND

The management of extensive, recurrent limb desmoid tumors is extremely difficult. The failure of multimodality treatments, such as repeated resections, radiotherapy, systemic chemotherapy, or endocrine manipulations, can end up with multilating surgery or even amputation, similar problems sometimes encountered in soft tissue sarcoma of the limbs. The high rate of limb salvage achieved by isolated limb perfusion (ILP) with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and melphalan for extensive, high-grade soft tissue sarcoma led us to implement this modality in difficult cases of limb desmoids.

METHODS

During a 4-year period, 6 patients aged 14 to 52 years were treated. All were significantly symptomatic and candidates for amputation or mutilating surgery. Five had lower and one had upper limb lesions. Two had multifocal disease. At ILP, 3 to 4 mg TNF and 1 to 1.5 mg/kg melphalan were delivered during a 90-minute period. One patient had a double perfusion. All patients underwent definitive resective operation 6 to 8 weeks after perfusion.

RESULTS

No systemic complications were observed, and local complications included reversible skin redness and blisters. Response rate was 83% with 33% (2 of 6) complete response and 50% (3 of 6) partial response. In 1 patient less than 50% regression was observed. Limb salvage rate was 100%; even the patient with stabilization of disease could be locally resected. Local recurrence during a follow-up period of 7 to 55 months (median 45 months) occurred in 2 patients at 8 and 24 months, respectively; the first underwent amputation, whereas for the second a wide excision was possible.

CONCLUSIONS

ILP with TNF and melphalan can be used as a limb preservation modality in patients with recurrent desmoids and significant symptoms who would otherwise require multilating surgery to control their neoplasm.