Indications and Results of Isolated Limb Perfusion
Abstract
Medicine and health The indications and results of isolated limb perfusion have varied over the years and are now mostly limited to unresectable melanoma and soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities. This thesis gives an overview of the current applications of isolated limb perfusion and answers a number of questions that have arisen regarding the practice of isolated limb perfusion. The principle aim of this thesis was to determine which patients should (or should not be) advised to undergo isolated limb perfusion, on the basis of 23 years of experience with isolated limb perfusion in the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek hospital/The Netherlands Cancer Institute and the Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center (Rotterdam). Secondly, the aim was to determine the most effective schedule and to describe the results that can be expected of isolated limb perfusion in terms of response, recurrence-free survival, overall survival and the long term quality of these patients' lives.