Current status of isolated limb infusion with mild hyperthermia for melanoma.

Purpose: Recurrent disease confined to a limb is a frequently encountered clinical problem in patients with melanoma. Regional chemotherapy by isolated limb perfusion (ILP) provides effective treatment but is invasive, complex and costly. Isolated limb infusion (ILI) is a simple yet effective alternative to ILP.

Materials And Methods: ILI involves drug administration into a limb via percutaneously inserted catheters after vascular isolation of the limb has been achieved with a tourniquet. The infused drug is circulated for 30 minutes via a simple extracorporeal circuit incorporating a heater (to produce mild hyperthermia).

Results: Limb tumour remission rates are similar to those achieved by conventional ILP. ILI is well tolerated, and elderly patients and those with major medical co-morbidities and serious peripheral vascular problems can be treated.

Conclusions: ILI with mild hyperthermia is an established alternative to hyperthermic ILP for patients with recurrent limb melanoma. It can also be used for patients with soft tissue sarcomas and a variety of serious, chronic dermatological conditions.