Preoperative chemoradiation followed by surgical resection for resectable pancreatic cancer: a review of current results

Background: There has been an interest in the interdisciplinary and multimodality approach that combines chemotherapy and radiation therapy as a preoperative treatment for patients with resectable pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Literature search of databases (Medline and PubMed) to identify published studies of preoperative chemoradiation for resectable pancreatic cancer (potentially resectable and borderline resectable) was undertaken. Response to treatment and survival outcomes was examined as endpoints of this review.

Results: Seventeen studies; eight phase II studies, and nine observational studies, comprising of 977 patients were reviewed. Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy with radiotherapy was the most common preoperative regimen. Following preoperative treatment, pancreatic surgical resection was performed in 35-100% (median=61%) of patients after a range of 6-32 weeks (median=7 weeks). Rate of pathological response was complete in 5-15% of patients, partial in 33-60% and minimal in 38-42%. The median overall survival ranged from 12 months to 40 months (median=25 months) with a 5-year overall survival rate ranging between 8% and 36% (median=28%). Patients who underwent chemoradiation but did not undergo surgery survived a median period of 7-11 months (median=9 months).

Conclusion: Preoperative gemcitabine-based chemoradiation followed by restaging and surgical evaluation for pancreatic resection may identify a sub-population of patients with resectable disease who would benefit the most from surgery. Investigation of this schema of preoperative therapy in a randomized setting of resectable pancreatic cancer is warranted.