What is the best treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer?
Gemcitabine monotherapy has been the standard of care for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer for several decades. Despite recent advances in various chemotherapeutic regimens and in the development of targeted therapies, metastatic pancreatic cancer remains highly resistant to chemotherapy.
What is the best treatment for recurrent pancreatic cancer?
The treatment of recurrent pancreatic cancer is similar to the treatments described above and usually involves chemotherapy. Radiation therapy or surgery may also be used to help relieve symptoms. Your doctor may suggest clinical trials that are studying new ways to treat this type of recurrent cancer.
Can metastatic pancreatic cancer go into remission?
Some pancreatic cancer patients reach remission. Others are able to stabilize their disease or reduce their tumors through treatment approaches like clinical trials, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy or a combination of these methods.
Is there a second line treatment for pancreatic cancer?
Patients who have metastatic pancreatic cancer often present with poor functional status and a significant symptom burden, so a combination cytotoxic chemotherapeutic approach may not be suitable for most patients in the salvage setting. The emerging role for and increasing interest in evaluating second-line chemotherapy need to be further defined.
Are there any new drugs for pancreatic cancer?
Drug development in pancreatic cancers is challenging. The overall success rate for drugs in phase 3 clinical trials of patients with solid tumors is approximately 40%.
Which is the best chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer?
As a result, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines began to recommend FOLFIRINOX or GEM/nab-P in patients with good performance status (category 1). 16 Therefore, a treating oncologist might choose a treatment regimen based on the toxic effects involved and clinical experience.
When did erlotinib stop being used for pancreatic cancer?
Although erlotinib was not a fruitful choice, it was used more commonly starting in 2011, when the treatment landscape changed with the introduction of FOLFIRINOX as a regimen for patients younger than 76 years with good performance status.