Primary carcinoma of the pancreas
is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. There
is an estimated incidence of 31,000 new cases per year and 30,000 deaths
reported per year. Thus, the yearly incidence of new cases of
pancreatic cancer coincides nearly equally with the number of deaths
attributed to this disease per year. In the absence of any screening
tests for pancreatic cancer, the emphasis on more effective treatment
becomes imperative. Ductal adenocarcinoma makes up approximately
80-90% of malignant pancreatic neoplasms. In patients who present
with potentially curable disease, surgical treatment remains the only
treatment to provide potential cure. However, even in the most
optimistic surgical series, 5-year survival rates range between 10-20%
with a median survival of 18-24 months. Great controversy exists
regarding the role of postoperative adjuvant therapy for patients with
resected pancreatic carcinoma. Small studies done over the past
25 years have suggested some minor prolongation of survival and improvement
in disease-free survival when postoperative chemotherapy and radiation
treatments have been given to resected patients. In addition,
neoadjuvant strategies employing preoperative chemotherapy and radiation
treatments have demonstrated significant response rates, but no significant
improvements in long-term survival or cure rates.
Additional information about Pancreatic cancer can be found at the
American Cancer
Society website. Additional information about
clinical trials can be found at the National
Cancer Institute.
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