Locoregional chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Investigating whether or not locoregional chemotherapy has an effect on survival among patients with pancreatic cancer. The possibility of radical surgical interventions for treatment of cancer of the pancreas is very low. Locoregional chemotherapy is one of the modalities advocated to increase survival of such patients.


METHODS
Twenty-nine patients with cancer of the pancreas underwent surgery in our clinic. Eleven patients were female and 18 were male. Surgical procedures and adjuvant locoregional chemotherapy applied to these patients as well as survival obtained are evaluated and compared to those reported in the literature.


RESULTS
Eight of the 9 patients that received curative surgery and adjuvant locoregional chemotherapy are still alive after 5, 6, 7, 7, 9, 12, 13, and 17 months. Seventeen patients with advanced stage pancreatic cancer had palliative diversion procedures. Mean survival was 10.5 months for the seven that received locoregional chemotherapy, but 6.2 months for the 10 patients that did not receive locoregional chemotherapy. Mean survival of 3 patients that had only laparotomy was 2.3 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Neoadjuvant or adjuvant locoregional chemotherapy has a beneficial effect on the survival of patients that undergo curative or palliative surgery for pancreatic cancer. However further multicenter trials are necessary.
Nazli
O
O
Third Surgical Clinic of Ataturk Training Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
Tansug
T
T
Bozdag
A D
AD
Cln
N
N
Kaymak
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome