Superselective intraarterial infusion of cisplatin for squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth: preliminary clinical experience.

The purpose of this study was to assess the initial clinical response to superselective intraarterial infusion of cisplatin for treating stage III and stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth.Thirteen patients received intraarterial cisplatin therapy. The tumors were located in the tongue (n = 7), gingiva (n = 3), buccal mucosa (n = 1), hard palate (n = 1), and floor of the mouth (n = 1). A coaxial technique was used to place microcatheters in the lingual, facial, inferior alveolar, buccinator, and distal internal maxillary arteries, depending on tumor location. The feeding vessels were identified by staining the tumor with infusion of indigocarmine dye in the selected vessel. Relatively low-dose cisplatin (30-40 mg/m2) was injected at the rate of 50 mg/hr. Two or three injections were performed, with a 1-week interval between injections. After chemotherapy, eight patients underwent surgery, four had radiation therapy, and one had both.Thirty-four intraarterial infusions were done successfully withou...