Treatment Of Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Research Articles

Immune Marker and C-Reactive Protein Dynamics and Their Prognostic Implications in Modulated Electro-Hyperthermia Treatment in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Retrospective Analysis

Background: Previous research has suggested that modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) can be used to induce anti-tumor immune effects and to extend patient survival. The use of mEHT in advanced pancreatic cancer is beneficial; however, its immune-mediating effects were never investigated. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. Leukocyte counts, C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and granulocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (GLR) were measured at baseline, midpoint, and after mEHT treatment. Results: A total of 73 mEHT treated pancreatic cancer patients were included. The time elapsed between tumor diagnosis and the first mEHT treatment was 4.40 ± 5.70 months. While no change could be observed between the baseline and the first follow-up visits, the total white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil, and granulocyte count, CRP, NLR, and GLR were significantly higher at the second follow-up compared to both previous visits. Higher levels of the latter parameters following the last mEHT treatment were signaling significantly poor prognostic signs, and so were their longitudinal changes. Conclusions: After the initiation of mEHT, immune markers stabilize with the treatment, but this positive effect is eroded over time by progressive disease. Monitoring the changes in these markers and the occurrence of their increase is a prognostic marker of shorter survival.

Gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in first line treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer – head-to-head comparison with the mFOLFIRINOX regimen

Gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in first line treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer – head-to-head comparison with the mFOLFIRINOX regimen

MO5-4 Clinical utility of upfront comprehensive genomic profiling for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer

MO5-4 Clinical utility of upfront comprehensive genomic profiling for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer

Focused ultrasound and concurrent chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer: A systematic review.

The combination of focused ultrasound (FUS) and chemotherapy is a novel treatment for pancreatic cancer. This paper reviews the literature on this combined therapy. The medical literature was searched according to PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were any study of patients with pancreatic cancer undergoing treatment with FUS and chemotherapy. Data extracted included stage, radiologic response, resection rate, survival, and adverse events. The initial search yielded 212 citations; 10 studies met inclusion criteria (9 retrospective cohorts; 1 randomized trial). A total of 631 patients received FUS + chemotherapy; 63.6% being stage 4, and 29.7% stage 3. Patient selection, FUS parameters, and chemotherapy used were all heterogeneous. Overall survival ranged from 7.4 to 21.6 months, radiologic response rate was 44.1%, and 24.4% of stage 3 patients underwent resection. All four studies with a comparison group demonstrated improved survival. FUS + chemotherapy decreased pain in 69.7% of patients. Severe adverse events occurred in 0.65%. The literature on combined FUS and chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer is heterogeneous. There is good evidence that adverse events are low, and that it provides effective palliation. There is evidence to suggest oncologic benefit, however, this is subject to selection bias and prospective trials are needed.

Efficacy of vitamin C on chemotherapy-related anemia in pancreatic cancer: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundIn the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer, chemotherapy plays a pivotal role. Despite its effectiveness, this regimen is often marred by side effects such as anemia, neuropathy, fatigue, nausea, and malnutrition, which significantly affect patients’ tolerance to the treatment. Some studies have shown that vitamin C could potentially augment chemotherapy’s tolerability, notably by boosting iron absorption, ameliorating anemia, and relieving pain and numbness in hands and feet. Nevertheless, the integration of vitamin C with chemotherapy to mitigate toxic side effects and enhance the quality of life for advanced pancreatic cancer patients has not been examined in any randomized controlled trials to date.MethodsA prospective, single-center, open-label, randomized controlled trial will be conducted at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from September 2023 to September 2026. A total of at least 100 patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma exhibiting distant metastases will be recruited and randomly assigned to the chemotherapy group or the chemotherapy plus vitamin C group. The primary endpoint is the rate of anemia. Secondary endpoints include the rate of grade 3 neuropathy, change of numeric rating scale, quality of life, and overall survival.DiscussionThis study aims to assess the impact of low-dose vitamin C on enhancing the quality of life for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer undergoing gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel chemotherapy.Trial registrationThe trial was registered with the ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06018883) on August 31, 2023.

Efficacy and safety of gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel combined with anlotinib and PD-1 inhibitors as a first-line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical efficacy and adverse reactions of gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (AG regimen) combined with anlotinib and PD-1 inhibitors as a first-line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer (PC). MethodsData of 52 patients with advanced PC who were treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University (Xuzhou, China) between August 2019 and March 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the treatment regimen, patients were divided into two groups, including 27 patients in the chemotherapy group (AG regimen) and 25 patients in the combined treatment group (AG regimen combined with anlotinib and PD-1 inhibitors). Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. The survival curves of the two groups were drawn using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the differences in PFS and OS between the two groups were compared by the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors influencing prognosis. ResultsThe median OS and PFS in the combined treatment group were significantly longer than those in the chemotherapy group (OS, 12.8 vs. 7.9 months, P = 0.005; PFS, 5.6 vs. 4.4 months, P = 0.003). There was no significant difference in ORR between the two groups (32.0 % vs. 25.9 %, P = 0.629), and DCR in the combined treatment group was significantly better than that in the chemotherapy group (84.0 % vs. 59.3 %, P = 0.049). Grade 1–2 adverse reactions were predominant in both groups, and no adverse reaction-related deaths occurred. ConclusionCompared with chemotherapy alone, AG regimen combined with anlotinib and PD-1 inhibitors exhibited to have a higher efficacy for the first-line treatment of advanced PC, and the adverse reactions were also controllable.

Nab-paclitaxel plus S-1 versus nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: a multicenter, randomized, phase II study.

Encouraging antitumor activity of nab-paclitaxel plus S-1 (AS) has been shown in several small-scale studies. This study compared the efficacy and safety of AS versus standard-of-care nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine (AG) as a first-line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer (PC). In this multicenter, randomized, phase II trial, eligible patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic PC were recruited and randomly assigned (1:1) to receive AS (nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8; S-1 twice daily on days 1 through 14) or AG (nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8; gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8) for 6 cycles. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Between July 16, 2019, and September 9, 2022, 62 patients (AS, n = 32; AG, n = 30) were treated and evaluated. With a median follow-up of 8.36 months at preplanned interim analysis (data cutoff, March 24, 2023), the median PFS (8.48 vs 4.47 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.402; P = .002) and overall survival (OS; 13.73 vs 9.59 months; HR, 0.226; P < .001) in the AS group were significantly longer compared to the AG group. More patients had objective response in the AS group than AG group (37.50% vs 6.67%; P = .005). The most common grade 3-4 adverse events were neutropenia and leucopenia in both groups, and gamma glutamyl transferase increase was observed only in the AG group. The first-line AS regimen significantly extended both PFS and OS of Chinese patients with advanced PC when compared with the AG regimen, with a comparable safety profile. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03636308).

Combined Efficacy of Nimotuzumab and Gemcitabine on the Treatment of Advanced Pancreatic cancer.

We sought to investigate whether the addition of nimotuzumab to gemcitabine would improve the treatment efficacy of advanced pancreatic cancer. This retrospective analysis involved a total of 98 hospitalized patients harboring advanced pancreatic cancer. Depending on the specific treatment, patients were divided into study groups and control groups. The clinical efficacy, adverse reactions, and follow-up results of the 2 groups were compared, and the physical status, CA724, CA19-9, and CEA levels before and after treatment were monitored and recorded. After treatment, PR ratio, SD ratio, ORR, and DCR in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group, and PD ratio was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05) the KPS score after treatment in the study group was markedly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, however, significantly lower levels of the 3 indicators were observed when compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Our study highlights a more superior combined efficacy of nimotuzumab and gemcitabine than the control regimen, exhibiting improved survival and reduced levels of CA724, CA19-9, and CEA in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Trends in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) has the poorest prognosis among digestive cancers; only 15-20% of cases are resectable at diagnosis. This review explores multidisciplinary treatments for advanced PC, emphasizing resectability classification and treatment strategies. For locally advanced unresectable PC, systemic chemotherapy using modified FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine with albumin-bound paclitaxel is standard, while the role of chemoradiation is debated. Induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation may be a promising therapy. Conversion surgery after initial chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy offers favorable survival, however criteria for conversion need further refinements. For metastatic PC, clinical trials using immune checkpoint inhibitors and molecular targeted therapies are ongoing. Multidisciplinary approaches and further research are crucial for optimizing treatment and improving outcomes for advanced PC.

Multifaceted role of erlotinib in various cancer: nanotechnology intervention, patent landscape, and advancements in clinical trials.

Erlotinib (ELB) is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets the activity of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) protein found in both healthy and cancerous cells. It binds reversibly to the ATP-binding site of the EGFR tyrosine kinase. ELB was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004 for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment in patients who relapsed after at least one other therapy. It was authorized for use with gemcitabine in 2005 for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. In addition to lung cancer, ELB has shown promising results in the treatment of other cancers, including breast, prostate, colon, pancreatic, cervical, ovarian, and head and neck cancers. However, its limited water solubility, as a BCS class II drug, presents biopharmaceutical problems. Nanoformulations have been developed to overcome these issues, including increased solubility, controlled release, enhanced stability, tumor accumulation, reduced toxicity, and overcoming drug resistance. In older patients, ELB management should involve individualized dosing based on age-related changes in drug metabolism and close monitoring for adverse effects. Regular assessments of renal and hepatic functions are essential. This review provides an overview of ELB's role of ELB in treating various cancers, its associated biopharmaceutical issues, and the latest developments in ELB-related nanotechnology interventions. It also covers ELB patents granted in previous years and the ongoing clinical trials.

Periarterial and Sub-adventitial Divestment Along with Triangle Operation and RAMPS for Pancreatic Body Cancer

BackgroundLocally advanced cancers of the pancreatic body can abut or involve the celiac axis, hepatic artery, or superior mesenteric artery. Recent evidence suggests that these tumors are amenable to surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (Hackert et al., Locally advanced pancreaticcancer: neoadjuvant therapy with FOLFIRINOX results inresectability in 60 % of the patients. Ann Surg 264:457–463, 2016; Rangelova et al., Surgery improves survival after neoadjuvant therapy for borderline and locally advanced pancreatic cancer: a single-institution experience. Ann Surg 273:579–86, 2021). An arterial divestment technique can be used for these cancers to get an R0 clearance, thereby avoiding morbid arterial resections (Miao et al., Arterial divestment instead of resection for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). Pancreatology 16:S59, 2016; Habib et al., Periadventitial dissection of the superior mesenteric artery for locally advanced pancreatic cancer: surgical planning with the “halo sign” and “string sign.” Surgery 169(5):1026–1031, 2021; Diener et al., Periarterial divestmentin pancreatic cancer surgery. Surgery 169(5):1026–31, 2020). Two techniques are described for arterial divestment. In the periarterial divestment technique, the plane of the dissection is between the tumor and the adventitia (Habib et al., Periadventitial dissection of the superior mesenteric artery for locally advanced pancreatic cancer: surgical planning with the “halo sign” and “string sign.” Surgery 169(5):1026–1031, 2021; Diener et al., Periarterial divestmentin pancreatic cancer surgery. Surgery 169(5):1026–31, 2020). In sub-adventitial dissection, the plane of dissection is between the tunica adventitia and the external elastic lamina (Gao et al., Sub-adventitial divestment technique for resecting artery-involved pancreatic cancer: a retrospective cohort study. Langenbecks Arch Surg 406:691–701, 2021). The TRIANGLE operation also is one of the surgical techniques to achieve R0 resection in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (Hackert et al., The TRIANGLE operation: radical surgery after neoadjuvant treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer: a single-arm observational study. HPB Oxford 19:1001–1007, 2017). This multimedia article aims to demonstrate peri-arterial and sub-adventitial divestment techniques as well as the TRIANGLE operation for a locally advanced cancer of the body of the pancreas. The video also highlights the technique of posterior radical antegrade modular pancreato-splenectomy (RAMPS) together with lymph node clearance.Patient and MethodsA 57-year-old women was detected to have pancreatic body adenocarcinoma with tumor contact of the artery and superior mesenteric artery. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, she was planned to undergo surgical resection.ResultsThe surgical technique consisted of peri-arterial and sub-adventitial divestment, the TRIANGLE operation and RAMPS (Fig. 1). The procedure was performed within 240 min and involved blood loss of 250 mL. After the procedure, pancreatic leak (POPF-B), chyle leak and diarrhea developed, which were managed conservatively. The final histopathology showed residual, viable, moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma (ypT2N1M0) with all resection margins free.ConclusionThe surgical technique consisting of peri-arterial and sub-adventitial divestment, the TRIANGLE operation and RAMPS helps in R0 resection of locally advanced pancreatic body cancer without any compromise in oncologic outcomes and offers an alternative surgical approach to morbid arterial resection.

The efficacy of coaxial percutaneous iodine-125 seed implantation combined with arterial infusion chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer: a randomized clinical trial

Background This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of coaxial percutaneous Iodine-125 (125I) seed implantation in combination with arterial infusion chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer (PC) through a randomized controlled trial. Methods A total of 101 patients with advanced PC were randomized into two groups: control group treated with systemic intravenous chemotherapy and experimental group that received 125I seed implantation in combination with arterial infusion chemotherapy. Outcomes, including tumor control, abdominal pain relief, and survival time were compared between these two groups (Trial Registration No. KYKT2018-65). Results Pretreatment abdominal pain scores were comparable between the two groups, whereas the abdominal pain scores at 1- and 3-month post-treatment were significantly lower in the control group than those in the experimental group (1-month: 3.74 ± 1.54 vs. 4.48 ± 1.46, p = .015; 3-month: 3.64 ± 2.21 vs. 5.40 ± 1.56, p < .001). At 3-month post-treatment, computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a significantly higher disease control rate in the experimental group than that in the control group (94.0% vs. 74.5%, p = .007). The median survival time in the experimental group was significantly longer than that in the control group (15-month vs. 9-month, p < .001). Conclusion The combination of coaxial percutaneous 125I seed implantation with arterial infusion chemotherapy could significantly alleviate abdominal pain, improve tumor control rates, and prolong survival time in patients with advanced PC.

Clinical efficacy and safety of erlotinib combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer: A meta-analysis.

Advanced pancreatic cancer is resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs, resulting in limited treatment efficacy and poor prognosis. Combined administration of the chemotherapeutic gemcitabine and erlotinib is considered a potential first-line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer. However, their comparative benefits and potential risks remain unclear. To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of erlotinib combined with other chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. Literature on the clinical efficacy and safety of erlotinib combined with chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer was retrieved through an online search. The retrieved literature was subjected to a methodological qualitative assessment and was analyzed using the RevMan 5.3 software. Ten randomized controlled trials involving 2444 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with chemotherapeutic treatment, erlotinib combined with chemotherapy significantly prolonged the progression-free survival time of pancreatic cancer patients [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.78, 95%CI: 0.66-0.92, P = 0.003]. Meanwhile, the overall survival (HR= 0.99, 95%CI: 0.72-1.37, and P = 0.95) and disease control rate (OR = 0.93, 95%CI: 0.45-0.91, P = 0.84) were not significantly favorable. In terms of safety, the erlotinib and chemotherapy combination was associated with a significantly higher risk of diarrhea (OR = 3.59, 95%CI: 1.63-7.90, P < 0.05) and rash (OR = 3.63, 95%CI: 1.64-8.01, P < 0.05) compared with single-agent chemotherapy. Moreover, the risk of vomiting (OR = 1.27, 95%CI: 0.62-2.59, P = 0.51), regurgitation/anorexia (OR = 1.61, 95%CI: 0.25-10.31, P = 0.62), and infection (OR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.28-1.87, P = 0.50) were not significant in either group. Compared with a single chemotherapeutic modality, erlotinib combined with gemcitabine can prolong progression-free survival in pancreatic cancer, but does not improve survival benefit or disease control rate, and can increase the risk of diarrhea and rash.

WT1 Cancer Vaccine in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Advanced pancreatic cancer is one of the prominent contributors to cancer-related mortality globally. Chemotherapy, especially gemcitabine, is generally used for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. Despite the treatment, the fatality rate for advanced pancreatic cancer is alarmingly high. Thus, the dire need for better treatment alternatives has drawn focus to cancer vaccinations. The Wilms tumor gene (WT1), typically associated with Wilms tumor, is found to be excessively expressed in some cancers, such as pancreatic cancer. This characteristic feature is harvested to develop cancer vaccines against WT1. This review aims to systematically summarize the clinical trials investigating the efficacy and safety of WT1 vaccines in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. An extensive literature search was conducted on databases Medline, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using the keywords "Advanced pancreatic cancer," "Cancer vaccines," "WT1 vaccines," and "Pulsed DC vaccines," and the results were exclusively studied to construct this review. WT1 vaccines work by introducing peptides from the WT1 protein to trigger an immune response involving cytotoxic T lymphocytes via antigen-presenting cells. Upon activation, these lymphocytes induce apoptosis in cancer cells by specifically targeting those with increased WT1 levels. WT1 vaccinations, which are usually given in addition to chemotherapy, have demonstrated clinically positive results and minimal side effects. However, there are several challenges to their widespread use, such as the immunosuppressive nature of tumors and heterogeneity in expression. Despite these limitations, the risk-benefit profile of cancer vaccines is encouraging, especially for the WT1 vaccine in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. Considering the fledgling status of their development, large multicentric, variables-matched, extensive analysis across diverse demographics is considered essential.

A real-world analysis of second-line treatment option, gemcitabine plus anlotinib and anti-PD1, in advanced pancreatic cancer

BackgroundIn the second-line treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer (APC), there is only one approved regimen based on the phase III NAPOLI-1 trial. However, for patients progressing after Nab-paclitaxel and Gemcitabine (Nab-P/Gem) or Nab-P combinations, second-line treatment were very limited. MethodsThis is a retrospective single-center analysis of patients. Our aim was to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of a novel regimen, gemcitabine plus Anlotinib and anti-PD1, in APC patients and to compare it with oxaliplatin, irinotecan, leucovorin, and fluorouracil (FOLFIRINOX) in the second-line setting who have failed on the first-line Nab-P combinations. ResultsIn total, twenty-three patients received Gemcitabine plus Anlotinib and anti-PD1 in the second-line, 28 patients were treated with FOLFORINOX. There was no significant difference in overall survival (OS) or progression free survival (PFS) for either of the two sequences (p > 0.05). Patients who received Gemcitabine plus Anlotinib and anti-PD1 had a median PFS of 4.0 months (95% CI: 1.1–6.9) versus 3.5 months (95% CI 1.8–5.2) in FOLFORINOX group (p = 0.953). The median OS of Gemcitabine plus Anlotinib and anti-PD1 was 9.0 months (95% CI: 4.0–13.7) and 8.0 months (95% CI: 5.5–10.5) in FOLFORINOX group (p = 0.373). Grade ≥3 treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) occurred for 13% of patients with Gemcitabine plus Anlotinib and anti-PD1 and 40% for FOLFORINOX. ConclusionOur data confirms the effectiveness of Gemcitabine plus Anlotinib and anti-PD1 as a well-tolerated regimen in the second-line treatment of APC and extends available data on its use as a second-line treatment option when compared with FOLFIRINOX.

高强度聚焦超声治疗晚期胰腺癌的研究进展

高强度聚焦超声治疗晚期胰腺癌的研究进展

Efficacy of continuous arterial perfusion chemotherapy combined with transarterial chemoembolization regional arterial thermal perfusion in the treatment of pancreatic cancer with liver metastases

Abstract Background The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of continuous transcatheter arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer with liver metastasis. Methods Sixty patients with advanced pancreatic cancer and liver metastases were enrolled in this study. In the treatment group, 31 patients underwent continuous transcatheter arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with TACE regional arterial thermal perfusion, whereas 29 patients included in the control group received intravenous chemotherapy with gemcitabine and S-1. All patients received maintenance chemotherapy with S-1 after 4 cycles of the study regimen. Treatment efficacy, quality of life, survival, and toxicity were evaluated. Results Efficacy was better in the treatment group than in the control group, as reflected by the objective remission, partial remission, and disease progression rates (all P &lt; 0.05). The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and Numerical Rating Scale pain scores were also higher in the treatment group (both P &lt; 0.05). In survival analysis, the 1-year overall survival rates in the treatment and control groups were 64.516% and 10.345%, respectively, whereas the median overall survival times were 16 and 6 months, respectively (both P &lt; 0.05). The 6-month progression-free survival rates in the treatment and control groups were 77.419% and 13.790%, respectively, and the median progression-free survival times were 12 and 3 months, respectively (both P &lt; 0.05). The rates of hematological and nonhematological toxicological adverse effects were also lower in the treatment group (both P &lt; 0.05). Although the rate of liver dysfunction was higher in the treatment group, this finding had no adverse effects on prognosis. Conclusions Continuous transcatheter arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with TACE regional arterial perfusion chemotherapy resulted in better efficacy and safety outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer and liver metastasis, suggesting its utility as a reference method for the clinical treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.

The real-world study of the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer in China

Objective: Real-world diagnostic and treatment data for pancreatic cancer in China are lacking. As such, the present study investigated the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer (including locally advanced and metastatic disease) in the Hospital-based Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Cohort in China of the China Pancreas Data Center database. Methods: A total of 5349 Chinese patients with advanced pancreatic cancer were identified from a database. The entire course of real-world pancreatic cancer management was analyzed. Results: The proportion of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer was higher among males than females (62.4% vs 37.6%, respectively). Patients typically had a history of hypertension (30.8%), diabetes (21.6%), and cholangitis (20.2%). Abdominal pain (51.6%), abdominal distension (27.1%), jaundice (20.1%), and weight loss (16.3%) were the main symptoms observed in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer in this cohort. Serum carbohydrate antigen (CA)19-9 is one of the most common tumor markers. In the present study, 2562 patients underwent first-line therapy. The median progression-free survival (PFS) for patients undergoing first-line therapy was 4.1 months. The major options for first-line therapy included gemcitabine (GEM) plus S-1 (GS/X) (23.4%), nab-paclitaxel plus GEM (AG) (18.1%), oxaliplatin, irinotecan, and leucovorin-modulated fluorouracil (FOLFIRINOX; 11.9%), nab-paclitaxel plus S-1 (AS) (8.9%), and GEM combined with oxaliplatin/cisplatin (GEMOX/GP) (7.6%). The AS and GS/X regimens were associated with the highest PFS rates. Conclusion: This is the first study to report multicenter, real-world data regarding advanced pancreatic cancer in China. Results revealed that real-world treatment options differed from guideline recommendations, and PFS was shorter than that in previously reported data. Improving intelligent follow-up systems and standardizing diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer is recommended.

Feasibility of 125I brachytherapy combined with arterial infusion chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

To evaluation the feasibility of Iodine-125 (¹²5I) brachytherapy combined with arterial infusion chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. A total of 72 cases with Stage III and IV were retrospectively reviewed. 23 cases receiving 125I brachytherapy were classified as Group A. 27 cases receiving arterial infusion chemotherapy (gemcitabine + cisplatin, GP) were classified as Group B and 22 cases receiving 125I brachytherapy combined with arterial infusion chemotherapy (GP) were classified as Group C. The evaluated indications were local control rate, survival rate, carbohydrate antigen 19-9, pain relief, and Karnofsky physical scores. Analysis of Variancep, Pearson chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier curves were used for analysis. The local control rate of group A and group C was significantly higher than group B (P < .001). Pearson chi-square test showed statistical difference of the 3 groups (χ2 = 12.969, P = .044). The median survival of group A,B and C was 9 months, 6 months and 13 months, respectively. The survival time of group C was significantly higher than group B (χ2 = 5.403, P = .020). The Log rank test showed statistical difference in the survival curve of the 3 groups (χ2 = 6.501, P = .039). The difference of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 decline percentage between group B and C group was statistically significant (χ2 = 5.959, P = .015). Patients in group A and group C relieved form pain after treatment with statistically significant (P < .001). Pain relief was much more effective in patients who received 125I brachytherapy. Karnofsky physical scores after treatment were statistically higher than those before treatment in each group (P < .001). 125I brachytherapy maybe one of the effective, safe and feasible alternative treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. ¹²5I brachytherapy combined with arterial infusion chemotherapy was effective in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.

Systemic treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease with an extremely poor 5-year survival rate due to treatment resistance and late-stage detection. Despite numerous years of research and pharmaceutical development, these figures have not changed. Treatment options for advanced pancreatic cancer are still limited. This illness is typically detected at a late stage, making curative surgical resection impossible. Chemotherapy is the most commonly utilized technique for treating advanced pancreatic cancer but has poor efficacy. Targeted therapy and immunotherapy have made significant progress in many other cancer types and have been proven to have extremely promising possibilities; these therapies also hold promise for pancreatic cancer. There is an urgent need for research into targeted treatment, immunotherapy, and cancer vaccines. In this review, we emphasize the foundational findings that have fueled the therapeutic strategy for advanced pancreatic cancer. We also address current advancements in targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and cancer vaccines, all of which continue to improve the clinical outcome of advanced pancreatic cancer. We believe that clinical translation of these novel treatments will improve the low survival rate of this deadly disease.