|
Treatment update for metastatic pancreatic cancer
Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
The treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer continues to be a major unresolved health problem and a therapeutic challenge, with a poor median survival averaging 3–6 months. Disappointing response rates to standard single-agent therapy have led to a search for more effective agents. Early study results with gemcitabine indicate a potential survival benefit in these patients, which is illustrated here in a case report of a 75-year-old man with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who has defied the odds. Chemotherapy with GEMOX (gemcitabine and oxaliplatin) was initiated, and the patient has enjoyed a good quality of life, with long-term disease control (stable disease 21 months after diagnosis).
| Commun Oncol 2006;3:428–430 | full text |  92 kb |