title: Unresectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas: patterns of failure and treatment results.
abstract: We retrospectively reviewed the outcome of 36 consecutive patients seen in our department with nonmetastatic unresectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. There were 28 men and 8 women with a mean age of 63.7 years (range, 43-78 years). Radiation therapy (RT) was given to all patients. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) was given as a bolus (500-1000 mg/m2/day) during the first and last weeks of RT in 22 patients, whereas continuous 5-FU (225 mg/m2/day) was given to 3 patients. The median survival for all patients was 10 months. Overall survival for all patients at 1 and 3 years was 47.2% and 19.1%, respectively. The pancreas, peritoneum, liver, and lungs were components of failure in 66.7%, 33.3%, 14.8%, and 14.8%, respectively. Local control was a major problem in patients treated for unresectable pancreatic cancer. The results of this study confirm the dismal prognosis of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, Loyola University of Chicago, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Maywood, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Paulino
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Latona
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D005472:Fluorouracil