title: Pancreatic cancer: advances in medical therapy.
abstract: Progress in the treatment of pancreatic cancer has been notably slow and modest in contrast to other cancers of the GI tract over the last 5 years. Pancreatic cancer still continues to be a devastating illness that is marked by the appearance of early metastatic disease, despite curative surgery and the relative chemoresistance of the disease. However, small incremental benefits have been seen, and point to areas of research and development over the subsequent years. Developments in adjuvant chemotherapy and the use of gemcitabine in combination with other cytotoxic agents or with biological agents have changed clinical practice. Given its poor outlook and the paucity of active therapies, even modest gains can lead to regulatory approval and, therefore, pancreatic cancer represents a common target for pharmaceutical companies. Newer agents are in development with the promise of further refinement in treatment selection based on molecular tumor characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia. andrewweickhardt@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weickhardt
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Michael