Synopsis Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a major cause of cancer-related deaths in Western countries and is anticipated to emerge as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States by 2030. Surgery offers the only chance of cure, but 5-year survival rates after surgical resection are as low as 10%. The combination of fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX) has resulted in longer overall survival than gemcitabine when administered as first-line treatment in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer .
There was no phase 3 clinical trial to justify the efficacy of mFOLFIRINOX (without bolus fluorouracil). Therefore, a phase 3 trial was initiated to compare the efficacy of mFOLFIRINOX with that of gemcitabine as adjuvant therapy post resection of pancreatic cancer. Thi s week's ' MED FACT ' discusses a clinical trial from The New England…
