Treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue using arterial embolism with cisplatin-loaded albumin microspheres: a microstructural and ultrastructural investigation.

To study the mechanism of cisplatin-loaded albumin microsphere infusion through the lingual artery to treat carcinoma of the tongue and the in vivo process of microspheres.Lingual arterial infusion was performed in seven patients with advanced carcinoma of the tongue using cisplatin-loaded albumin microspheres 56.3 microns in diameter. The specimens were taken immediately after infusion and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 weeks after infusion. They were examined by microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.Histologic and ultrastructural changes after infusion included programmed cell death, ischemic necrosis, and degeneration. Almost all carcinoma cells were killed by the fourth week. Microspheres were gradually hydrolyzed in the body and vanished completely within 6 weeks.The mechanism of arterial embolism with cisplatin-loaded albumin microspheres to treat squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue involves the combined effects of cytotoxicity and ischemic necrosis of the tumor after microembolism.