Pushing the limits in pancreatic cancer therapy

With an incidence of 338,000 estimated new cases and estimated 330,000 deaths, pancreatic cancer is the 7th most common cause of death worldwide representing one of the most deadly malignancies (1). Because of the locoregional growth pattern with infiltration of the visceral arteries that are adjacent to the pancreas and the early systemic spread, palliative therapy is indicated in almost 80% of cases. Most importantly, complete tumour resection is the most relevant predictor of long-term survival in pancreatic cancer. Just recently, the promising results of the ESPAC 4 trial that applied adjuvant gemcitabine and capecitabine, with a 5-year survival rate of 28.8%, were presented by Neoptolemos at the ASCO Meeting 2016.