La aplicación de la curieterapia en el tratamiento del cáncer constituye uno de los pilares fundamentales en que se sustenta la Oncología moderna. Desde su descubrimiento hace un siglo, ha venido perfeccionándose progresivamente hasta llegar al momento actual en que su aplicación se realiza en el tratamiento de innumerables tumores con un margen de seguridad, adaptabilidad y eficacia por demás insuperable. Oncología en esta sección de temas de actualidad expondrá bodas las aplicaciones de la curieterapia desde su inicio hasta la utilización en el tratamiento de ciertos tumores uno de los cuales ya fue publicado en un volumen anterior (1).

From November 92 to July 94 we implanted 98 central venous catheters for administration of chemotherapy. The candidates for placement of an indwelling or implantable central venous access device presented sorne of the following characteristics: In active treatment with no peripheral veins, on very prolonged chemotherapy, pediatrie or obese patients. The insertion of the catheter was
done under local anesthesia and direct fluoroscopic control. There were 34 males and 64 females, ranging from 3 to 74 years of age, with diferent neoplasms. 92 patients were implanted through the subclavian vein, 5 through the cephalic, 1 through the yugular vein and 2 were failures for a total of 100 insertions. 18 were permanent implantable (Implantofix) and 80 were indwelling
catheters whith extravascular portions subcutaneosly tunnelized to a skin exit 10 cm away of the point of insertion.

The main complication was local pain in 13 cases, then local infection in 10 patiens, flebitis in 6, one neumothorax,
2 subclavicular hematomas. The main reason for removing the catheter was the termination ofthe treatment (47 patients), flebitis (6), local infection ( 6 ). There were no deaths due to the procedure. The median duration of the catheter was four and a
half months.  This new approach for chemotherapy has made chemotherapy administration easier, has decreased the patient
anxiety with a better quality of life. The complications rate were low and similar to other series.

(Oncología (Ecuador) 1996; 6: 127-132)
(Key Words: Permanent Catheters, Chemotherapy)