US Pharm. 2011;36(Oncology/Hematology suppl):14.
In a randomized trial, patients with localized unresectable pancreatic cancer had a small but significant improvement in overall survival with a combination treatment of radiation therapy and gemcitabine. Overall survival was 11.1 months in the combination group and 9.2 months in those given gemcitabine alone, the researchers reported online on October 3 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Patients in the dual-therapy group had more grade 4 or 5 toxicities (41% vs. 9%), but grades 3 and 4 toxicities combined were similar (77% vs. 79%). Quality-of-life measurements up to 36 weeks were similar.
“For the past several decades,” said lead investigator Patrick J. Loehrer Sr., MD, “radiation and fluorouracil has been used as a standard in locally advanced pancreatic cancer with little impact on survival. This study shows that the impact of radiation may be enhanced safely with a different agent, gemcitabine--one that is more active in advanced pancreatic cancer.” Dr. Loehrer, of the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, and colleagues randomly assigned 74 patients to receive gemcitabine alone or gemcitabine plus radiotherapy for a total dose of 50.4 Gy.
