Localized unresectable pancreatic cancer

Treatment results are presented for 40 patients with unresectable localized pancreatic cancer. The treatment protocol consisted of a split-course external radiation therapy to a dose of 50 Gy combined with intravenous 5-fluorouracil on the first 4 days of each course in a dose of 375 mg/m2/day. There was no treatment mortality and morbidity was moderate. Median survival was 9 months. The 3-year survival of six patients and the 5-year survival of three patients are considered significant enough to advise this combined treatment modality as a standard and to use it in comparison with newer treatment schemes in Phase III studies.