[Chemotherapy of pancreatic cancer]

The incidence of pancreatic cancer has been increasing in recent years. In spite of advances in diagnosis with new imaging techniques, the disease is usually advanced by the time of diagnosis. In order to improve the poor prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer the development of an effective chemotherapy is essential. However, a review of the literature reveals that relatively few drugs have been evaluated for anticancer activity in pancreatic cancer. Anti-cancer drugs whose effectiveness have been confirmed are 5-fluorouracil, mitomycin C, streptozotocin, and adriamycin. A relatively high rate of response using combinations of these drugs has been reported. In addition to these drugs, tegafur is widely used in Japan. Other drugs need further trials and adequate evaluation.