Isolated Limb Infusion

Modified from image on Sydney Melanoma Unit Web site, http://smu.org.au.

Isolated limb infusion is a minimally invasive, catheter-based surgical procedure for delivering high doses of chemotherapy to recurrent melanomas or sarcomas of the extremities.

Offered at only a handful of cancer centers in the United States, isolated limb infusion is a well-tolerated modality for treating the 10 to 15 percent of patients who develop recurrent melanomas or sarcomas in an extremity following standard surgical treatment.

Benefits of isolated limb infusion include:

• Minimally invasive surgical procedure with fast recovery time
• Virtually bloodless procedure, eliminating need for transfusion
• Can be repeated at interval time points (if necessary)
• Can be administered concurrently with surgical removal of extremity tumors
• Excellent option for those with no other treatment, or those confronting amputation of a limb
• Good treatment results, with outcomes evenly balanced between complete response, partial response or minimal response

The procedure requires the coordination of a multidisciplinary team of specialists, including surgical oncologists, interventional radiologists, anesthesiologists and pharmacists knowledgeable in the treatment of melanomas or sarcomas.

During the procedure, the patient is placed under general anesthesia, catheters are placed in the femoral artery and femoral vein and positioned in an extremity to deliver heated chemotherapy to the tumor site. A tourniquet is used to isolate the extremity and set up an infusion circuit within the affected limb, allowing the delivery of maximum doses of heated chemotherapy to the tumor while eliminating systemic leakage of the drugs to other parts of the body.

Developed in Australia by the internationally renowned melanoma expert John Thompson, MD, surgical oncologist and director of the University of Sydney Melanoma Foundation and Melanoma Unit, isolated limb infusion is a standard of care treatment at Shands at UF.

More Information

Shands HealthCast about Isolated Limb Infusion

Q&A with Dr. Hochwald

Surgical Oncology Team Leader

Steven Hochwald, MD, UF College of Medicine Associate Professor of Surgery and Chief of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery, received his medical degree from the New York School of Medicine in New York City, and completed his internship and residency at the New York University Medical Center, where he was honored both as the senior resident and executive chief resident.

Dr. Hochwald also completed two fellowships—specialized training for physicians in their area of expertise—at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, in surgical oncology research and oncologic surgery.

Dr. Hochwald’s clinical and research interests include soft tissue sarcomas, colorectal, melanoma, esophogeal, pancreatic and cancers. Dr. Hochwald currently is investigating new targeted drugs that he hopes will improve the survival of patients with melanoma and sarcoma.

Information

For more information about isolated limb infusion, call 352.265.0940.