Efficacy of endovascular superselective chemoembolization with HepaSphere 50–100 μm microspheres saturated with cytostatic in stopping nosebleeds in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer

Abstract

The OBJECTIVE was to show the effectiveness of a new method for stopping nosebleeds in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer using endovascular superselective chemoembolization of the tumor arterial bed with HepaSphere 50–100 μm microspheres saturated with the cytostatic doxorubicin.METHODS AND MATERIALS. The results of treatment of 94 patients who against the background of progressive growth of nasopharyngeal cancer and ongoing combined treatment in oncology centers experienced nosebleeds are presented. In all these patients, according to the results of examinations in cancer centers, no convincing source of nosebleeds was identified. In the conditions of Polenov Neurosurgical Institute, 94 patients underwent endovascular superselective chemoembolization of the vasculature of nasopharyngeal cancer. The embolizate was a mixture of HepaSphere 50–100 μm microspheres saturated with the cytostatic doxorubicin (50 mg). All patients were included in the study in the absence of contraindications and after signing a voluntary informed consent approved by the ethics committee. The selection of patients was carried out according to the following criteria: thorough morphological verification of the neoplasm; locally advanced process of III and IV stages (T2-4 N0-2M0); no history of other cancers; absence of individual hematogenous metastases; absence of competitive pathology in the stage of decompensation; age was over 18 years old. All patients underwent induction-simultaneous chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with the use of radiation therapy in the usual dose fractionation regimen.RESULTS. The hemostatic effect was achieved in all 94 patients due to sequential superselective chemoembolization of the vasculature of the tumor itself with embolizate, which was a mixture of HepaSphere 50–100 μm microspheres saturated with the cytostatic doxorubicin (50mg). In the future, nosebleeds in these patients did not occur. The main sources of nosebleeds were the following branches of the external carotid artery: in 46.2 % of cases – the maxillary artery, in 37.6 % – the ascending pharyngeal artery, in 8.6 % – the occipital artery, in 5.4 % – the artery of the carotid node, in 2.2 % – other branches of the external and internal carotid arteries on one side or on both sides.CONCLUSION. The method of endovascular superselective chemoembolization with doxorubicin of the vasculature of nasopharyngeal cancer complicated by nosebleeds developed and introduced into medical practice was the initial stage of the combined treatment of these neoplasms. A good hemostatic effect was achieved in all 94 patients.

Keywords

• nasopharyngeal cancer
• nosebleed
• superselective angiography
• endovascular superselective chemoembolization