| Theme | Pancreatic Cancer : Up-to-date | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Targeted and Vaccine Therapy for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer | |
| Publish Date | 2011/01 | |
| Author | Taiga Otsuka | Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Oncology Division, National Cancer Center Hospital |
| Author | Hideki Ueno | Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Oncology Division, National Cancer Center Hospital |
| Author | Takuji Okusaka | Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Oncology Division, National Cancer Center Hospital |
| [ Summary ] | Although the standard chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer is gemcitabine, the efficacy of this treatment is inadequate. Many trials have been performed to improve efficacy. A combination of gemcitabine with targeted drugs has been evaluated recently. However, only the combination of gemcitabine plus erlotinib is associated with a statistically significant increase in survival as compared to gemcitabine alone. A number of trials using targeted drugs are still ongoing. Vaccine therapies have also been investigated for pancreatic cancer. Though some randomized studies in combination with gemcitabine have been reported, there is presently no survival benefit as compared to gemcitabine monotherapy. Novel strategies other than targeted or vaccine therapy are also being actively developed and are expected to improve the prognoses for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. | |