Current treatment landscape of pancreatic cancer patients in a network of office-based oncologists in Germany

Abstract

Background: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers, with comparatively poor outcomes despite the use of multiagent conventional chemotherapy regimens. Real-world data from clinical practice are still rare but are the basis for understanding and improving the current standard of care. Materials & methods: In this multi-institutional retrospective analysis of 24 office-based oncology practices in Germany, the authors documented 1786 pancreatic cancer patients who received systemic treatment between April 2017 and June 2021. Results: The authors' analysis showed that results from recent clinical studies are promptly incorporated into practice. Conclusion: It was striking that, during the analyzed period, the use of platinum-based therapy regimens in adjuvant and palliative first-line therapy increased predominantly in younger patients (<70 years).

Keywords: adjuvant therapy; chemotherapy; clinical practice; palliative care; palliative first-line therapy; pancreatic cancer; platinum-based therapy; real-world data; systemic treatments.