Combined ablation-chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for pancreatic cancer with liver metastasis: a propensity score matching study

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To retrospectively assess the efficacy of combined ablation-chemotherapy in comparison to that of chemotherapy alone in patients with liver metastasized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (lmPDAC).

Methods: In total 104 patients with hepatic oligo metastasized PDAC were identified; among them, 74 patients underwent combined thermal ablation-chemotherapy, and 30 patients underwent chemotherapy alone. Through propensity score matching, 1:1 matching of the combined ablation-chemotherapy group and chemotherapy group was achieved. The primary endpoint of this study was overall survival (OS). Clinical and tumor-related factors affecting OS were also analyzed through univariate and multivariate analyses using the Cox risk model.

Results: For patients treated with combined ablation-chemotherapy, the median OS was 10.77 months, while it was 5.77 months for patients treated with chemotherapy alone (P = 0.011). The survival benefit for patients treated with combined ablation-chemotherapy was still preserved in the matched cohort, with a median OS of 8.17 months compared to 5.77 months in the chemotherapy group. Univariate and multivariate analyses in the matched population also showed treatment with combined ablation-chemotherapy was an independent prognostic factor (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: For patients with liver metastases from pancreatic cancer, the combined use of thermal ablation and systemic chemotherapy offers a chance for a better survival outcome.

KEYWORDS:

• Ablation techniques
• adjuvant chemotherapy
• liver metastasis
• pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
• prognosis

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Author contributions

Xia Yan and Zhiqiang Meng were responsible for the conception and the design of this work. The data were collected with the help of Jie Sheng, Yehua Shen, and Yongqiang Hua. The analysis and interpretation of the data were performed by Xia Yan and Zhouyu Ning. The paper was drafted by Xia Yan and the content was revised by Zhouyu Ning, Peng Wang, Li-ping Zhuang, Li-tao Xu, and Zhen-feng Zhu. The final version of this work was approved by Xia Yan and Zhiqiang Meng, and that all authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.