Adjuvant Radiation Therapy in Pancreatic Carcinoma: A Reappraisal

Abstract

Pancreatic carcinoma is clearly a disease that “gives cancer a bad name.” In general, it is refractory to single modality therapy using surgery radiation therapy, or chemotherapy. While only 10-15% of patients present with resectable disease, approximately 50% of patients with pancreatic carcinoma have only locoregional disease (non-resectable) at diagnosis. For these patients without distant metastases, some recent studies employing combined modality therapy show some promise for improving local control and possibly survival in this devastating disease.