Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Therapies of Pancreatic Cancer: A Review

The survival of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is dismal. Few patients on initial presentation aresuitable for surgical resection. This has prompted clinical studies with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapydesigned either to increase the number of patients eligible for surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) or to prolong thesurvival of patients who had undergone surgery (adjuvant therapy). None of these studies may at this time beconsidered definitive. Wherever possible, patients felt eligible for neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy should beentered on clinical trials. Where this is not possible, clinicians should exercise their best judgment in offeringthis type of treatment to pancreatic cancer patients under their care.