Personalization of chemotherapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer

Erlotinib is an approved drug for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer; however, its survival benefit is small and its cost is high, and the decision to use the drug may often be personalized according to the patient's background. A 72-year-old Asian man in good general condition chose gemcitabine monotherapy over combination therapy with gemcitabine plus erlotinib because the survival benefit of the latter was small. The cost of the drug did not appear to affect this decision. This report details the process of decision making with respect to whether a patient receives targeted therapy, and suggests that the use of molecular-targeted drugs must be personalized from many perspectives, including the patient's social situation.