Efficacy and Safety of Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Therapy Administered for 5 Versus 2 Weeks for Resectable and Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreas. 2022 Mar 1;51(3):269-277. doi: 10.1097/MPA.0000000000002011.

Abstract

Objectives: Indications of preoperative treatment for resectable (R-) or borderline resectable (BR-) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are unclear, and the protocol remains to be standardized.

Methods: Included 65 patients with R- and BR-PDAC with venous involvement (V-) received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with S-1 and 50 Gy of radiation as the 5-week regimen. The outcomes of this group were compared with those of 52 patients who underwent S-1 and 30 Gy of radiation as the 2-week regimen, previously collected as our prospective phase II study.

Results: Compared with the 2-week regimen, there were no significant differences in the rate of protocol completion, adverse events, mortality and morbidity, or R0 resection in the 5-week regimen. In subgroup analyses of R-PDAC, there were no significant differences in overall survival and recurrence-free survival between the groups. In contrast, the 5-week regimen had significantly better overall survival and recurrence-free survival than the 2-week regimen for BRV-PDAC. Similar results were observed after propensity score matching analysis.

Conclusions: The 5-week regimen of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy has good clinical efficacy and safety for R- and BRV-PDAC. The 5-week regimen could achieve better outcomes than the 2-week regimen for BRV-PDAC. In contrast, both regimens achieved similar outcomes for R-PDAC.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial, Phase II

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal* / pathology
  • Humans
  • Neoadjuvant Therapy / adverse effects
  • Neoadjuvant Therapy / methods
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Prospective Studies