Concentrated approach to chemotherapy gives some metastatic cancer patients hope
Mays Cancer Center Annual Report
In late 2023, Mays Cancer Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio became the only center in South Texas to offer a specialized chemotherapy delivery system called hepatic artery infusion, or HAI pump therapy.
Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, HAI therapy is intended for colorectal cancer patients whose tumors have spread to the liver and are inoperable. It is designed to deliver high doses of chemotherapy safely and effectively to patients living with colorectal cancer and bile duct cancer, which have spread to the liver.
HAI therapy both reduces the tumor and improves control of the disease in the liver.
“Having HAI therapy available at the Mays Cancer Center to treat patients whose cancer cannot be removed completely through surgery is pivotal,” said Colin Court, MD, PhD, surgical oncologist and assistant professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery at UT Health San Antonio.
How HAI therapy works
The HAI pump is a palm-sized device implanted below the skin in the abdomen while the patient is under anesthesia. It continuously administers chemotherapy directly through the hepatic artery, a vessel that provides blood to the liver.
HAI therapy is localized to target tumors precisely. It delivers up to 400 times higher drug concentration than standard chemotherapy, limiting side effects elsewhere. Treatment consists of bi-weekly refills, routine lab testing and any necessary dose adjustments. Once implanted in the body, the patient’s body heat powers the pump, activating it to deliver the medicine. The HAI pump remains in place for the length of the required therapy, depending upon the patient’s customized treatment plan.
Hope for stage 4 cancer patients
A National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, Mays Cancer Center is currently one of only two facilities in Texas offering HAI therapy. Offering hepatic artery infusion therapy locally gives patients from San Antonio and throughout South Texas an opportunity to receive care close to home.
Colorectal cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, with more than 150,000 people newly diagnosed every year. Many patients with stage 4 colorectal cancer can be helped or even cured by surgery or other locoregional therapies such as HAI.
