Adjuvant therapy for resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma: review of the current treatment approaches and future directions

Abstract

Adenocarcinoma of the pancreas carries a uniformly poor prognosis with high rates of loco-regional as well as systemic recurrence. Outcomes remain poor, even for early stage and resectable disease. It is perceived as inherently resistant to most of the currently available treatment options. Evidence supports the need for adjuvant chemotherapy but controversy remains in relation to the use of combined therapy, novel agents and the most appropriate timing of therapy. Despite no clear consensus, mainstay of treatment following resection is based primarily on single agent gemcitabine. Promising new agents and molecules of prognostic as well as predictive value under evaluation offer intriguing data, despite issues surrounding adjuvant therapy strategies. In this article, we sought to review the different therapeutic adjuvant modalities and future directions.

Keywords: Adjuvant treatment; Chemotherapy; Pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Radiation therapy; Targeted therapy.