Vol 1, No 4 (2005)
Review paper
Published online: 2005-12-12
Combined treatment of pancreatic cancer - current strategies
Onkol. Prak. Klin 2005;1(4):183-191.
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death. The prognosis, as indicated
by nearly equal incidence and mortality rates, is very poor. Although the only chance for cure is currently
pancreatic resection, the tumour can be removed only in about 20-30% of patients. Five-year
survival rates reported in recent decades have demonstrated an increasing trend, but the 5-year survival
is still only about 10-30% with the median survival of 15-20 months. A rising number of pancreatic resections
along with centralisation of pancreatic cancer surgery in hospitals with adequately trained personnel
resulted in reduced rates of morbidity and postoperative mortality. Previous clinical trials have emphasised
the need for a combined treatment where chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy are inseparably
associated with surgical interventions. Though many enthusiastic studies have been reported, the optimal
regimen of the combined therapy has not been agreed. Moreover, the differences observed between
individual studies suggest that further well-designed clinical trials involving large patient populations are
necessary.
Keywords: pancreatic cancercombined therapychemotherapyradiotherapy