Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Jun 26;14(1):114.
doi: 10.1186/s13014-019-1277-1.

Radiation therapy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma, a treatment option that must be considered in the management of a devastating malignancy

William A Hall  1 , Karyn A Goodman  2
Affiliations
Review

Radiation therapy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma, a treatment option that must be considered in the management of a devastating malignancy

William A Hall et al. Radiat Oncol. .

Abstract

Clinical outcomes for patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) remain dismal. Local recurrences, proportions of margin positive surgical resections, and overall survival outcomes remain inferior in PAC than any other solid tumor. This stems from a current standard of care management approach that needs to be inspired and transformed with modern treatment techniques and novel therapeutic options. Radiation therapy has historically been a central component in the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma; however, the role of radiation therapy has been called into question based on the publication of clinical trials with conflicting results. We present an overview of the rationale for radiation therapy in resectable, borderline resectable, and unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We further present a summary of emerging clinical data and future directions to improve outcomes in this devastating malignancy.

Keywords: PREOPANC-1 trial; PRODIGE trial; Pancreatic SBRT; Pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Pancreatic cancer; Pancreatic radiation therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

References

    1. Siegel RL, Miller KD, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2018. CA Cancer J Clin. 2018;68(1):7–30. doi: 10.3322/caac.21442. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rahib L, et al. Projecting cancer incidence and deaths to 2030: the unexpected burden of thyroid, liver, and pancreas cancers in the United States. Cancer Res. 2014;74(11):2913–2921. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-14-0155. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Abrams RA, et al. Failure to adhere to protocol specified radiation therapy guidelines was associated with decreased survival in RTOG 9704--a phase III trial of adjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy for patients with resected adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2012;82(2):809–816. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2010.11.039. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kalser MH, Ellenberg SS. Pancreatic cancer. Adjuvant combined radiation and chemotherapy following curative resection. Arch Surg. 1985;120(8):899–903. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.1985.01390320023003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Further evidence of effective adjuvant combined radiation and chemotherapy following curative resection of pancreatic cancer. Gastrointestinal tumor study group. Cancer. 1987;59(12):2006–10. - PubMed