Implantable Hepatic Artery Infusion Pump Delivers Targeted Chemotherapy for Inoperable Tumors

Intera Oncology’s (Boston, MA, USA) Intera 3000 HAI Pump is the only FDA-approved pump for Hepatic Artery Infusion (HAI) therapy for the treatment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer confined to the liver) and colorectal cancer liver metastases. The palm-sized Intera 3000 HAI Pump is implanted in the abdomen and continuously delivers chemotherapy directly to the hepatic artery, which feeds metastatic tumors in the liver. Patients undergoing HAI therapy can maintain their everyday activities with minimal disruption. Remarkably, the Intera 3000 HAI Pump provides up to 400 times the concentration of medication to liver tumors compared to conventional IV administration.

This therapy is ideal for patients with widespread metastatic disease, where curative surgery is not initially feasible. Previously, the best treatment option for these patients was lifelong chemotherapy, which carries potential systemic toxicities and rarely shrinks the tumor size to operable levels. The Intera 3000 HAI Pump offers an alternative, liver-focused treatment that could potentially make patients eligible for surgery by specifically targeting liver disease. Since most of these tumors draw their blood supply from the hepatic arterial system, delivering chemotherapy through this system allows for higher doses of specific chemotherapeutic agents without exposing the patient to their systemic toxicities.

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