Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Therapy for Resectable Pancreatic and Periampullary Cancer

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a relatively uncommon malignancy associated with a high rate of cancer-related mortality despite best efforts to perform curative surgery. Adjuvant therapy in patients after surgical resection is associated with improved overall survival. Adjuvant treatment approaches may include either chemotherapy alone or a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Neoadjuvant approaches, also including either chemotherapy alone or a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, are under investigation. Periampullary cancers constitute a rare and heterogeneous group of tumors that are typically treated as pancreatic cancers given their histologic similarities and tumor location.