Comparison of efficacy and safety of three different drugs combined with radiotherapy in the treatment of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of three different drugs combined with radiotherapy, viz, apatinib mesylate combined radiotherapy (group A), gemcitabine combined oxaliplatin (group B), and Huachansu capsules combined radiotherapy (group C)] in advanced pancreatic cancer patients.
 Methods: A total of 174 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer treated in Yantai Qishan Hospital, Yantai, China from June 2015 to December 2016 were randomly and evenly divided into groups A, B, and C. The incidence of adverse reactions during treatment, immune reaction, efficacy, quality of life, and survival were compared among the three groups after four courses of treatment.
 Results: Compared with groups B and C, the incidence of nausea and vomiting was higher in group A (p < 0.05), but the incidence of other adverse events was not significantly different (p > 0.05). Group A showed higher response rate and disease control rate, higher CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ levels and QOL scores, as well as lower CD8+ level in peripheral blood after treatment than groups B and C (p < 0.05). Group A also exhibited longer median OS and median PFS, and higher 2-year survival than groups B and C (p < 0.05).
 Conclusion: Among the three different drug treatments combined with radiotherapy, apatinib mesylate combined radiotherapy enhanced efficacy and quality of life, and lengthen the survival time of advanced pancreatic cancer patients. However, additional clinical trials are required to validate these findings.