Current 5-year survival after complete resection of pulmonary metastases is ≈ 30%, and many patients develop pulmonary recurrences. Obviously new treatment options are needed for this indication. Isolated lung perfusion (ILuP) is an experimental technique to deliver high-dose chemotherapy to the lung without systemic exposure. Recently, a phase I trial of ILuP combining 45 mg melphalan followed by pulmonary metastasectomy for resectable lung metastases proved to be feasible and safe.

The current 3-center phase II study (including University Hospital Antwerp/P. van Schil and Anthonius Hospital Nieuwegein/F. Schramel) allows patients with resectable lung metastases from colorectal cancer, soft tissue- and osteosarcoma to be treated with ILuP prior to metastasecomy.

At Leiden University Medical Center we treated 8 patients: 4 with colorectal cancer (age 54–59 y), 2 osteosarcoma (19–20 y), 1 sarcoma NOS of bone (38 y) and 1 sarcoma NOS (56 y) of soft tissue. The number of metastases was 1–2 and one patient had resection of 9 metastases. The procedure was uncomplicated in 7 cases and 1 patient had reversible pulmonary edema. Hospital admission duration was 6–8 days in the uncomplicated group and 14 days in the one patient with a complication. No long term toxicity was observed with extensive follow-up including lung function tests. With a median follow-up of 7 months (range 2–16), only the patient with 9 metastases had a recurrence and died of disease.

Our single center prelimininary data show that ILuP is feasible and does not lead to irreversible or severe toxicity. Compared to retrospective data with metastasectomy alone, perfusion did not add toxicity. Follow-up is too short to draw any conclusions on efficacy.