Radiation therapy in pancreatic cancer: current practice and future trends

Treatment options for pancreatic cancer remain limited due to the large proportion of patients presenting with advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. Surgery offers the best chance for cure. Localized chemoradiation modestly improves median survival in both localized and locally advanced disease. Interstitial brachytherapy and intraoperative radiotherapy improve local control without providing significant impact on overall survival. Technological advances now allow us to deliver three dimensional conformal external beam irradiation with improved efficacy and decreased morbidity. Novel treatment approaches, such as intraoperative photoelectron radiation (Photon Radiosurgery System; PeC Photoelectron Corporation) and the development of more effective radiosensitizers, are presently under investigation.