Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: Emerging Strategies in Chemotherapy and Palliative Care

This update is devoted to discussion of optimal supportive and palliative care of patients with pancreatic cancer. Approximately 33,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer are predicted for the U.S. in 2002. Because diagnosis and intervention occur late in the course of this disease, the vast majority of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The oncologist (Dayton, Ohio) Ohio), 2003-01, Vol.8 (1), p.18-34
Main Authors: El Kamar, Francois G., Grossbard, Michael L., Kozuch, Peter S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use
Cachexia - etiology
Cachexia - therapy
Chemotherapy
Cholestasis - etiology
Cholestasis - therapy
Depression - etiology
Depression - therapy
Fatigue - etiology
Fatigue - therapy
Humans
Pain - drug therapy
Pain - etiology
Pain control
Palliative Care
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic Neoplasms - complications
Pancreatic Neoplasms - pathology
Pancreatic Neoplasms - therapy
Prognosis
Quality of Life
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Summary:This update is devoted to discussion of optimal supportive and palliative care of patients with pancreatic cancer. Approximately 33,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer are predicted for the U.S. in 2002. Because diagnosis and intervention occur late in the course of this disease, the vast majority of patients already have metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis. These tumors are relatively resistant to systemic chemotherapy, making pancreatic cancer the fourth leading cause of cancer‐related death in the U.S. and the Western world. For these reasons, efforts at identifying and treating disease‐related symptomatology are priorities. This update overviews symptom management, supportive care strategies, and both standard and emerging palliative chemotherapy options. The incorporation of molecularly targeted therapies into treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer is reviewed as well. These strategies are of relevance to internists, gastroenterologists, oncologists, and other specialists who care for patients with pancreatic cancer.
ISSN:1083-7159
1549-490X
DOI:10.1634/theoncologist.8-1-18