What is an HAI pump?
What is an HAI pump?
HAI (hepatic artery infusion) pump therapy is a potential treatment option for patients diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer which has metastasized (spread) to the liver.
Colorectal cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer in the United States among men and women, and when men and women are combined, it is the #2 cause of cancer death.
Ultimately, over 50% of patients diagnosed with CRC will develop liver metastasis.
Traditional chemotherapy is “systemic,” which means it is administered and distributed throughout the entire body. HAI pump therapy is different in that it delivers chemotherapy directly to the liver, providing up to 400 times greater drug concentration where it is needed. It accomplishes this by delivering chemotherapy to the hepatic artery, which supplies blood to the liver.
How HAI Pump Placement Works
HAI pump surgery is a minor procedure that places the port in the abdomen just below the skin, somewhat like a port that is used for traditional chemotherapy. The pump is then filled with the drug being used to treat the tumors in the liver, slowly delivering medication at a constant rate.
The pump is powered by body heat and refilled every two weeks during active treatment. The pump can be filled with an inactive fluid during treatment breaks.
Benefits of HAI Pump Therapy for Liver Metastases
For patients with mets to the liver that cannot be surgically removed, HAI pump therapy may be an option to help prevent the tumors from growing, and in some cases even shrinking them, which may prolong survival and help them become a surgery candidate.
For patients that have had their tumors surgically removed, HAI therapy may help prevent new tumors from forming and may prolong survival.
Possible Side Effects of HAI Pump Therapy
No therapy is without side effects, including HAI therapy. However, patients generally report fewer chemotherapy related side effects when compared to traditional systemic chemotherapy. Possible side effects include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Elevated liver enzymes
It is important to follow all instructions given by your provider. While you can remain active with an HAI pump, you should rough physical activity that may damage the pump. You should also avoid scuba diving, and be careful to avoid activites that may increase your body temperature, such as using a hot tub, during active treatment, as this can alter the medication flow rate.
How to Receive HAI Pump Chemotherapy
HAI therapy is administered by a physician specially trained to do so. There are several centers across the U.S. now offering this treatment option. After placement of the pump, the pump will be managed by the provider, who will refill the pump and decide on a course of treatment.
Success Stories with HAI Pump Therapy
“My experience with the Hepatic Artery Infusion (HAI) pump was truly life-changing—and, without question, life-saving. From the moment it was implanted, I not only remained cancer-free, but I was able to fully live my life in ways I never imagined possible during cancer treatment. I continued running, working out, and staying active. One of the greatest advantages of the HAI pump was the absence of the debilitating systemic side effects I experienced with traditional chemotherapy. The treatment targeted my liver directly, which meant my other organs were spared from the harmful effects of chemotherapy. That fact proved critical to my survival. A year later, I unexpectedly went into liver failure due to biliary inflammation. Because the rest of my body had been spared from chemo-related damage, I was strong and healthy enough to undergo a living donor liver transplant. The HAI pump quite literally became the bridge that kept me cancer-free and in peak enough condition to qualify for groundbreaking transplant research at Cleveland Clinic. Now, nearly nine years later, I have no lingering complications from the pump or the treatment, aside from a small hernia that will be repaired soon. The HAI pump didn’t just save my life—it gave me back my life while I was fighting for it.”
Next steps
If you have colorectal cancer with metastasis to the liver, HAI therapy may be an available treatment option. Talk to your oncologist to learn more.
Fight Colorectal Cancer has received funding from Intera Oncology (now part of Boston Scientific), the producers of HAI Therapy, in the form of unrestricted educational grants. We maintain ultimate authority over website content and the content written in this article.
HAI (hepatic artery infusion) pump therapy is a potential treatment option for patients diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer which has metastasized (spread) to the liver.
Colorectal cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer in the United States among men and women, and when men and women are combined, it is the #2 cause of cancer death.
Ultimately, over 50% of patients diagnosed with CRC will develop liver metastasis.
Traditional chemotherapy is “systemic,” which means it is administered and distributed throughout the entire body. HAI pump therapy is different in that it delivers chemotherapy directly to the liver, providing up to 400 times greater drug concentration where it is needed. It accomplishes this by delivering chemotherapy to the hepatic artery, which supplies blood to the liver.
How HAI Pump Placement Works
HAI pump surgery is a minor procedure that places the port in the abdomen just below the skin, somewhat like a port that is used for traditional chemotherapy. The pump is then filled with the drug being used to treat the tumors in the liver, slowly delivering medication at a constant rate.
The pump is powered by body heat and refilled every two weeks during active treatment. The pump can be filled with an inactive fluid during treatment breaks.
Benefits of HAI Pump Therapy for Liver Metastases
For patients with mets to the liver that cannot be surgically removed, HAI pump therapy may be an option to help prevent the tumors from growing, and in some cases even shrinking them, which may prolong survival and help them become a surgery candidate.
For patients that have had their tumors surgically removed, HAI therapy may help prevent new tumors from forming and may prolong survival.
Possible Side Effects of HAI Pump Therapy
No therapy is without side effects, including HAI therapy. However, patients generally report fewer chemotherapy related side effects when compared to traditional systemic chemotherapy. Possible side effects include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Elevated liver enzymes
It is important to follow all instructions given by your provider. While you can remain active with an HAI pump, you should rough physical activity that may damage the pump. You should also avoid scuba diving, and be careful to avoid activites that may increase your body temperature, such as using a hot tub, during active treatment, as this can alter the medication flow rate.
How to Receive HAI Pump Chemotherapy
HAI therapy is administered by a physician specially trained to do so. There are several centers across the U.S. now offering this treatment option. After placement of the pump, the pump will be managed by the provider, who will refill the pump and decide on a course of treatment.
Success Stories with HAI Pump Therapy
“My experience with the Hepatic Artery Infusion (HAI) pump was truly life-changing—and, without question, life-saving. From the moment it was implanted, I not only remained cancer-free, but I was able to fully live my life in ways I never imagined possible during cancer treatment. I continued running, working out, and staying active. One of the greatest advantages of the HAI pump was the absence of the debilitating systemic side effects I experienced with traditional chemotherapy. The treatment targeted my liver directly, which meant my other organs were spared from the harmful effects of chemotherapy. That fact proved critical to my survival. A year later, I unexpectedly went into liver failure due to biliary inflammation. Because the rest of my body had been spared from chemo-related damage, I was strong and healthy enough to undergo a living donor liver transplant. The HAI pump quite literally became the bridge that kept me cancer-free and in peak enough condition to qualify for groundbreaking transplant research at Cleveland Clinic. Now, nearly nine years later, I have no lingering complications from the pump or the treatment, aside from a small hernia that will be repaired soon. The HAI pump didn’t just save my life—it gave me back my life while I was fighting for it.”
Next steps
If you have colorectal cancer with metastasis to the liver, HAI therapy may be an available treatment option. Talk to your oncologist to learn more.
Fight Colorectal Cancer has received funding from Intera Oncology (now part of Boston Scientific), the producers of HAI Therapy, in the form of unrestricted educational grants. We maintain ultimate authority over website content and the content written in this article.
HAI (hepatic artery infusion) pump therapy is a potential treatment option for patients diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer which has metastasized (spread) to the liver.
Colorectal cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer in the United States among men and women, and when men and women are combined, it is the #2 cause of cancer death.
Ultimately, over 50% of patients diagnosed with CRC will develop liver metastasis.
Traditional chemotherapy is “systemic,” which means it is administered and distributed throughout the entire body. HAI pump therapy is different in that it delivers chemotherapy directly to the liver, providing up to 400 times greater drug concentration where it is needed. It accomplishes this by delivering chemotherapy to the hepatic artery, which supplies blood to the liver.
How HAI Pump Placement Works
HAI pump surgery is a minor procedure that places the port in the abdomen just below the skin, somewhat like a port that is used for traditional chemotherapy. The pump is then filled with the drug being used to treat the tumors in the liver, slowly delivering medication at a constant rate.
The pump is powered by body heat and refilled every two weeks during active treatment. The pump can be filled with an inactive fluid during treatment breaks.
Benefits of HAI Pump Therapy for Liver Metastases
For patients with mets to the liver that cannot be surgically removed, HAI pump therapy may be an option to help prevent the tumors from growing, and in some cases even shrinking them, which may prolong survival and help them become a surgery candidate.
For patients that have had their tumors surgically removed, HAI therapy may help prevent new tumors from forming and may prolong survival.
Possible Side Effects of HAI Pump Therapy
No therapy is without side effects, including HAI therapy. However, patients generally report fewer chemotherapy related side effects when compared to traditional systemic chemotherapy. Possible side effects include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Elevated liver enzymes
It is important to follow all instructions given by your provider. While you can remain active with an HAI pump, you should rough physical activity that may damage the pump. You should also avoid scuba diving, and be careful to avoid activites that may increase your body temperature, such as using a hot tub, during active treatment, as this can alter the medication flow rate.
How to Receive HAI Pump Chemotherapy
HAI therapy is administered by a physician specially trained to do so. There are several centers across the U.S. now offering this treatment option. After placement of the pump, the pump will be managed by the provider, who will refill the pump and decide on a course of treatment.
Success Stories with HAI Pump Therapy
“My experience with the Hepatic Artery Infusion (HAI) pump was truly life-changing—and, without question, life-saving. From the moment it was implanted, I not only remained cancer-free, but I was able to fully live my life in ways I never imagined possible during cancer treatment. I continued running, working out, and staying active. One of the greatest advantages of the HAI pump was the absence of the debilitating systemic side effects I experienced with traditional chemotherapy. The treatment targeted my liver directly, which meant my other organs were spared from the harmful effects of chemotherapy. That fact proved critical to my survival. A year later, I unexpectedly went into liver failure due to biliary inflammation. Because the rest of my body had been spared from chemo-related damage, I was strong and healthy enough to undergo a living donor liver transplant. The HAI pump quite literally became the bridge that kept me cancer-free and in peak enough condition to qualify for groundbreaking transplant research at Cleveland Clinic. Now, nearly nine years later, I have no lingering complications from the pump or the treatment, aside from a small hernia that will be repaired soon. The HAI pump didn’t just save my life—it gave me back my life while I was fighting for it.”
Next steps
If you have colorectal cancer with metastasis to the liver, HAI therapy may be an available treatment option. Talk to your oncologist to learn more.
Fight Colorectal Cancer has received funding from Intera Oncology (now part of Boston Scientific), the producers of HAI Therapy, in the form of unrestricted educational grants. We maintain ultimate authority over website content and the content written in this article.
