Localized Pancreatic Cancer: Multidisciplinary Management

Author(s):  
Andrew L. Coveler ◽  
Joseph M. Herman ◽  
Diane M. Simeone ◽  
E. Gabriela Chiorean

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive cancer that continues to have single-digit 5-year mortality rates despite advancements in the field. Surgery remains the only curative treatment; however, most patients present with late-stage disease deemed unresectable, either due to extensive local vascular involvement or the presence of distant metastasis. Resection guidelines that include a borderline resectable group, as well as advancements in neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation that improve resectability of locally advanced disease, may improve outcomes for patients with more invasive disease. Multi-agent chemotherapy regimens fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX) and nab-paclitaxel with gemcitabine improved response rates and survival in metastatic pancreatic cancer and are now being used in earlier stages for patients with localized potentially resectable and unresectable disease, with goals of downstaging tumors to allow margin-negative resection and reducing systemic recurrence. Chemoradiotherapy, although still controversial for both resectable and unresectable pancreatic cancer, is being used in the context of contemporary chemotherapy backbone regimens, and novel radiation techniques such as stereotactic body frame radiation therapy (SBRT) are studied on the premise of maintaining or improving efficacy and reducing treatment duration. Patient selection for optimal treatment designation is currently provided by multidisciplinary tumor boards, but biomarker discovery, in blood, tumors, or through novel imaging, is an area of intense research. Results to date suggest that some patients with unresectable disease at the outset have survival rates as good as those with initially resectable disease if able to undergo surgical resection. Long-term follow-up and improved clinical trials options are needed to determine optimal treatment modalities for patients with localized pancreatic cancer.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4133-4133
Author(s):  
Grace E. Ryan ◽  
Janet E. Murphy ◽  
Christine A. Ulysse ◽  
Beow Y. Yeap ◽  
Jennifer Yon-Li Wo ◽  
...  

4133 Background: With the advent of FOLFIRINOX, the management of pancreatic cancer has undergone a profound change. There has been a shift to TNT with FOLFIRINOX followed by radiation and an attempt at surgical resection. Recent trials of TNT have demonstrated an ability to resect locally advanced (LA) and borderline resectable disease. There is a lack of prospective data demonstrating local and systemic recurrence rates after TNT. Methods: Two previously reported prospective clinical trials (Murphy JE, et al, JAMA Oncol 2018, 2019) of total neoadjuvant therapy were conducted between 2012 and 2018 for borderline and LA disease (NCT01591733, NCT01821729). Patients received FOLFIRINOX for 8 cycles. Upon restaging, patients with resolution of vascular involvement received short-course chemoradiotherapy (5 Gy x 5 with protons or 3 Gy x 10 w photons) with capecitabine (N=34). Patients with persistent vascular involvement received long-course chemoradiotherapy with capecitabine (N=56). All patients were considered for resection after TNT except for those patients with metastatic or unresectable disease. Results: 97 eligible patients were enrolled and started treatment on the borderline resectable (n = 48) and locally advanced (n= 49) study. 90 patients completed therapy. 80 patients were taken to the operating room. 61 patients had R0 resection and 5 patients had R1 resection. The table shows the distribution of local recurrences, local recurrences and metastatic disease, and metastatic disease alone. With a median follow-up of 5.2 years (range: 2.4-6.0), of the 61 R0 patients, 22 patients remained alive and free of disease, 7 patients had a local recurrence, 4 patients had locoregional and metastatic recurrence, and 24 patients had a metastatic recurrence. 3 patients who underwent R0 resection died of unrelated causes. Median survival for patients undergoing R0 resection is 43.8 months. Conclusions: Total neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer is potentially curable and may change the pattern of spread.[Table: see text]


2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 15121-15121
Author(s):  
S. F. Mekan ◽  
R. S. Komrokji ◽  
M. S. Beg ◽  
Z. A. Nahleh ◽  
M. M. Safa

15121 Background: Locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma present as a treatment challenge because of poor outcomes with current treatment modalities. Therapy of unresectable or metastatic disease has not been studied in the VA population. Methods: We reviewed all cases of pancreatic cancer presenting to the system from 1995–2005. Cases were extracted from the VA Cancer Registry (VACCR). Results: There were 5522 cases identified; 5218 were adenocarcinomas. Out of these, there were 263 (5.1%) patients with unresectable locally advanced disease and 2778 (53.2%) patients with metastatic disease. Median survival for patients with unresectable disease was 5.6 months. Chemotherapy was administered to 94 patients and chemoradiation to 31 patients. No difference in survival was noted between the two groups (8.4 vs. 7.9 months, P = 0.434). In patients with metastatic disease, median survival was 2.2 months. Chemotherapy was administered to 760 (27%) patients in this group and showed improved survival as compared to patients who did not receive chemotherapy (5.3 vs. 1.5 months, p = 0.000). Conclusions: In VA patients with locally advanced unresectable disease, there is no difference in survival in patients treated with chemoradiation versus chemotherapy alone. In patients with metastatic disease, chemotherapy conferred a survival advantage. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 357-357
Author(s):  
Mohamad Osama Khawandanah ◽  
Carla Kurkjian ◽  
Shyla Penaroza ◽  
Charles Arnold ◽  
Terence S. Herman ◽  
...  

357 Background: The standard imaging approach in patients with pancreatic cancer is contrast enhanced computed tomography (CT), however, Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) may not be adequate in evaluating response to neoadjuvant therapy. A growing body of evidence exists to suggest that there is additional useful information to be gained from the use of FDG-PET scans in this setting. Methods: We conducted an IRB approved retrospective chart review of patients with locally advanced or borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant therapy at the University of Oklahoma and who had PET/CT imaging before and/or after neoadjuvant therapy between September 2006 and September 2013. Complete remission (CR) was defined as decrease in SUV to ≤ 3.0 or background, and partial response (PR) was defined as decrease in SUV from baseline, but > 3.0. Results: A total of 13 patients underwent Whipple surgery after neoadjuvant therapy at our institution. Four patients (31%) had persistent unresectable disease on CT scans post-neoadjuvant therapy, but demonstrated CR (three patients) or PR (one patient; Pre-treatment SUV: 10.1, Post Treatment: 4.6) on the PET scan. These patients underwent Whipple surgery based on PET response. All four (100%) patients underwent R0 resection. Two patients (50%) received neoadjuvant chemo-radiation in addition to chemotherapy. Conclusions: Response on FDG-PET/CT can be a predictor of R0 resection in cases with evidence of unresectable disease on conventional CT scan. A protocol to study larger number of patients prospectively is being designed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 201-203
Author(s):  
Hans-Rudolf Raab

<b>Background:</b> One critical step in the therapy of patients with localized pancreatic cancer is the determination of local resectability. The decision between primary surgery versus upfront local or systemic cancer therapy seems especially to differ between pancreatic cancer centers. In our cohort study, we analyzed the independent judgement of resectability of five experienced high volume pancreatic surgeons in 200 consecutive patients with borderline resectable or locally advanced pancreatic cancer. <b>Methods:</b> Pretherapeutic CT or MRI scans of 200 consecutive patients with borderline resectable or locally advanced pancreatic cancer were evaluated by 5 independent pancreatic surgeons. Resectability and the degree of abutment of the tumor to the venous and arterial structures adjacent to the pancreas were reported. Interrater reliability and dispersion indices were compared. <b>Results:</b> One hundred ninety-four CT scans and 6 MRI scans were evaluated and all parameters were evaluated by all surgeons in 133 (66.5%) cases. Low agreement was observed for tumor infiltration of venous structures (κ = 0.265 and κ = 0.285) while good agreement was achieved for the abutment of the tumor to arterial structures (interrater reliability celiac trunk κ = 0.708 P &#x3c; 0.001). In patients with vascular tumor contact indicating locally advanced disease, surgeons highly agreed on unresectability, but in patients with vascular tumor abutment consistent with borderline resectable disease, the judgement of resectability was less uniform (dispersion index locally advanced vs. borderline resectable p &#x3c; 0.05). <b>Conclusion:</b> Excellent agreement between surgeons exists in determining the presence of arterial abutment and locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The determination of resectability in borderline resectable patients is influenced by additional subjective factors. <b>Trial registration:</b> EudraCT: 2009–014476–21 (2013–02–22) and NCT01827553 (2013–04–09).


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