Korean J Med.  2009 Dec;77(6):695-702.

Recent treatment of pancreatic cancer

• Kim JW

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer has a high mortality rate and short survival as a result of the high incidence of metastatic disease at diagnosis, the fatal clinical course, and the lack of successful therapeutic strategies. Gemcitabine remains the only standard of care for this disease. Increasing combination therapies containing gemcitabine have been tested or are undergoing investigation. In the last decade, despite a number of clinical trials assessing novel cytotoxic agents and cell signaling inhibitors, the overall survival has reached a plateau that remains difficult to improve on. This review presents recent developments involving newer chemotherapeutic and molecular targeted agents, and identifies efforts for individualized treatment strategies.

Keyword

Pancreatic cancer; Gemcitabine; Survival; Clinical trial

MeSH Terms

Cytotoxins
Deoxycytidine
Incidence
Pancreatic Neoplasms
Standard of Care
Cytotoxins
Deoxycytidine