Therapeutic effects of 5-fluorouracil sustained-release particles in 81 malignant pericardial effusion patients

This study aimed to investigate the clinical application value of the 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) sustained-release particles implanted along the cardiac tangent direction into malignant pericardial effusion (MPCE). A total of 81 MPCE patients underwent pericardiocentesis, and were implanted with 5-FU sustained-release particles into the pericardial cavity under ultrasound guidance. The puncturing path was along the cardiac tangent direction. Ultrasound examinations were performed every week, and the efficacy was evaluated 4 weeks after treatment. The 45 patients who were treated with pericardial catheter drainage and simultaneous intracavitary chemotherapy were used as the control group. The success rate of pericardiocentesis was 100%. Ultrasound reviews performed 4 weeks after treatment showed that 71 cases achieved complete remission and eight cases achieved partial remission, while treatment was completely ineffective in two cases. The total remission rate was 97.53%, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (77.78%, p < 0.01). The implantation of 5-FU sustained-release particles along the cardiac tangent direction was safe, and demonstrated good efficacy and fewer adverse reactions. Thus, this method could be ideal for the treatment of MPCE.