Intra-arterial Therapy For Neoplasms

To the Editor:—  Tindel's communication (200:913, 1967) reports his experience with 28 intra-arterial infusions in 25 patients with recurrent regional neoplastic diseases, and Creech's editorial (200:983) in reference to this article also conveys the general impression that intraarterial chemotherapy is a dangerous procedure of doubtful benefit. (Other authors have reported similar experiences in larger series, particularly in reference to complications.)I totally disagree that intra-arterial chemotherapy is a dangerous procedure of doubtful benefit. To condemn an effective modality of chemotherapy on the basis of one investigator's results, and in only 25 cases, is not justified and compromises scientific judgment.I personally have performed over 3,600 intra-arterial infusions on more than 1,200 patients from 1960 to the present time, infusing all regional areas of the body from the head to the foot. Thirty percent of the first 900 patients treated had an objective response rate of six months' to