Cancer of the pancreas: are chemotherapy and radiation appropriate?

Current treatment of pancreatic carcinoma is not adequate. Local recurrence and distant metastases result in disease progression and death in the majority of patients. The authors focus on the natural history of the disease, the results with currently available treatments and the future of combined modality treatment. Reviewing the literature in support of combined treatments, they observe that several potential benefits may result: Palliation of symptoms, prolongation of survival (albeit measured in months), and occasional long-term survival. Patients with carcinoma of the pancreas are appropriate candidates for investigational treatment protocols.