Isolation perfusion of the lower limb with platinum

From August, 1983 to February, 1986, a total of 14 patients affected by osteogenic sarcoma of the limbs have been treated at the National Cancer Institute, Milan, Italy. For all patients, due to the size of tumor and the extracompartmental invasion, the only possible treatment was an amputation or disarticulation and, for this reason, it was decided to submit the patients to combined treatments according to this schedule: 2 subsequent intraarterial infusions of cis-platinum (CDDP) + systemic high-dose methotrexate (MTX), followed by hyperthermic antiblastic perfusion in extracorporeal circulation and 2 more cycles of systemic high-dose MTX + CDDP. This schedule of treatment is reasonably well tolerated by the patients, despite the side effects and the length of the entire presurgical period. No significant complications have been observed, either local or systemic.