Chemotherapy of pancreatic carcinoma.
Cancer of the pancreas is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Until recently, this tumor has not been the subject of a systematic evaluation of nonsurgical therapies. In particular, there have been remarkably few anticancer agents specifically studied for activity in pancreatic cancer, but at the present time 5-fluorouracil, mitomycin-C, streptozotocin, and Adriamycin have demonstrated single-agent effectiveness. Despite the limited number of agents available for the development of combination chemotherapy, several programs have demonstrated an apparent improvement in response relative to single-agent treatment. These include 5-FU and mitomycin-C, SMF, and FAM; response rates of 30-43% have been reported for patients with advanced measurable pancreatic cancer. For the locally advanced stage of this disease, the combined modality approach of 5-fluorouracil plus external irradiation has produced superior survivals when compared with radiation therapy used alone. Although chemotherapy of pancreatic cancer is a developing field, clinically meaningful responses correlated with improved patient survival can be obtained with existing regimens. Phase II trials of new anticancer agents remain a high priority research effort with the intent of identifying useful drugs for future regimens of combination chemotherapy.
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008937:Mitomycins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009607:Nitrosourea Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D013311:Streptozocin / Q000008:administration & dosage
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D008937:Mitomycins; D009607:Nitrosourea Compounds; D013311:Streptozocin; D004317:Doxorubicin; D005472:Fluorouracil