Abstract
IntroductionDespite the lack of high-quality clinical trial data suggesting that second-line chemotherapy (SLC) may affect survival on metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPC), most of centers utilizes them after the failure of initial treatment in patients who maintain a good performance status. The aim of the present study was to review our institutional experience with SLC and estimate its role in overall survival (OS). MethodsWe performed a retrospective matched case-control analysis based on search of medical records in 106 consecutive patients with mPC at our institution. Patients received first line chemotherapy (FLC) and SLC (n=49) or FLC only (n =57) from September 2005 to December 2010. Case matching was performed with respect to age (< 60y versus≥60y), topography (head of the pancreas versus body or tail), sites of metastasis. Overall survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method ResultsMedian age was 63 (32-86) and 60 (38-85) for SLC group and FLC group respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding topography, TNM stage at diagnosis, and sites of metastasis. The main site of metastasis was the liver (24.4%), followed by peritoneum (2.8%). Median follow-up of both groups was 8.4 months (0.23-54.93 months). First line treatment consisted of Gemcitabine (55.1% x 49.1%) and Gemcitabine+Cisplatin (18.4%x14%) in SLC and FLC group respectively. The most used second line treatment was Capecitabine (32.7%), followed by FOLFOX (16.3%), and Fluorouracil (10.2%). The Kaplan-Meier estimate of the overall median survival, 1-year and 2-years survival rate was 15.72 months versus 7.2 months (P=0,021), and 60% vs 32%, and 30% vs 19% in SLC and FLC group, respectively. ConclusionOur result suggests that second-line chemotherapy may be beneficial to improve overall survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. It's important that new and ongoing clinical trials clarify which is the best chemotherapy scheme in this setting.
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