Combination treatment of CC531-lac-Z rat liver metastases by chemoembolization with pemetrexed disodium and gemcitabine.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the combination effect of pemetrexed disodium (MTA; Alimta; LY 231514) and gemcitabine (GEM) administered by hepatic artery and portal vein chemoembolization (HACE and PVCE) in a colorectal cancer rat liver metastasis model.

Materials And Methods: Proliferation studies on CC531-lac-Z rat colon cancer cells were performed using the MTT assay to obtain the optimal combination schedule of the two antineoplastic agents. To generate diffuse liver metastasis, 4 x 10(6) tumor cells were implanted into the portal vein of male WAG/Rij rats.