Abstract

Pancreatic cancer remains a major therapeutic challenge in 2008. The annual incidence rate of pancreatic cancer is almost identical to the mortality rate; approximately 37,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States, and approximately 33,000 patients die from this disease. Poor prognosis has been attributed to an inability to diagnose pancreatic cancer at an early stage. Majority of patients have advanced pancreatic cancer at the time of diagnosis. Advanced disease is associated with a dismal outcome, with a median survival of 3-6 months. The author summarizes the key studies presented at the 44th ASCO Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, USA, May 30 - June 3, 2008. CONKO-001 study: final results of the randomized, prospective, multicenter phase III trial of adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine vs. observation in patients with resected pancreatic cancer. E4201 study: a randomized phase III study of gemcitabine in combination with radiation therapy vs. gemcitabine alone in patients with localized, unresectable pancreatic cancer. AViTA study: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase III trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adding bevacizumab to erlotinib and gemcitabine in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. CONKO-003 study: final results of a randomized trial in patients with gemcitabine-refractory pancreatic cancer.