Clinical outcomes of first-line FOLFIRINOX versus gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel in metastatic pancreatic cancer at the Yale Smilow Healthcare System.

Abstract

769 Background: FOLFIRINOX (FFX) and Gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GN) are established first line (1L) therapies for metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC) but real-world data on their comparative effectiveness is limited. Methods: All cases of MPC treated with 1L FFX or GN at Yale Smilow Cancer Hospital and the affiliated community care centers (CCC) from January 2011 – April 2019 were reviewed. Patient (pt) demographics, prior therapy, initial and subsequent dose reductions (DR), time to treatment discontinuation (TTD), overall survival (OS), and second line (2L) treatment data were manually abstracted from the electronic medical record. Categorical and continuous variables were compared between 1L FFX and GN cohorts via the Chi-squared and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Median OS was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: We identified 363 MPC pts treated with 1L FFX or GN; 269 (74%) pts were treated with FFX and 94 (26%) with GN as 1L therapy. 204 (56%) pts were treated at the main campus and 159 (44%) at a CCC. Demographics and baseline characteristics (FFX/GN) were as follows: gender (male) 55% / 41%; race (white) 82% / 77%; age < 76 90% / 71% ( P < 0.001). 332 (91%) of pts received no prior therapy; 21 (6%) had prior surgery plus adjuvant gemcitabine and 10 (3%) had surgery alone. 98% of FFX-treated pts were treated with upfront DR, compared to 78% of GN-treated pts ( P= 0.003). 78% and 53% of FFX-treated and GN-treated pts, respectively, had subsequent DR ( P< 0.001). Median TTD was 4.8 months with FFX and 3.4 months with GN ( P= 0.0029) and the median OS was 11.3 months with FFX versus 7.2 months with GN ( P < 0.0001). After 1L, 33% and 61% of FFX- and GN-treated pts, respectively, received no further chemotherapy ( P< 0.001). Conclusions: In the largest manually abstracted retrospective analysis to date, MPC pts treated with 1L FFX were younger, more likely to receive 2L therapy, and had increased survival compared to pts treated with GN. The OS of pts treated with FFX was similar to the OS reported by Conroy et al despite upfront dose attenuations in 98% of pts. A randomized trial is needed to confirm optimal sequencing of chemotherapy in MPC.