Neoadjuvant therapy using Gemcitabine+nab-paclitaxel for borderline resectable pancreatic head cancers

Abstract

GEM+nab-paclitaxel (GNP) has a significantly positive impact on the treatment of pancreatic cancers. In this report, we describe short- and long-term outcomes of a multidisciplinary approach for borderline resectable cancers using GNP as neoadjuvant therapy (NAT group, N = 47) compared with conventional surgery-upfront treatment (SU group, N = 76). Intention-to-treat analysis of the entire cohort revealed that the NAT group had a significantly longer overall survival (median survival time; 31.5 vs. 18.1months, P = 0.047) and progression free survival (16.8 vs. 9.0 months, P = 0.008). Among patients who underwent resection (N = 98), operation duration, blood loss, and severity of postoperative complications were similar among the groups. The R0 resection rate (0mm rule) for the NAT group was significantly higher than that of the SU group (89 vs. 64%, P = 0.0051). A multidisciplinary approach using GNP is a feasible and promising treatment option for patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancers.