Current status and dilemma of second-line treatment in advanced pancreatic cancer: is there a silver lining?

• Main Authors: Hua J, Shi S, Liang D, Liang C, Meng Q, Zhang B, Ni Q, Xu J, Yu X
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2018-08-01
• Series: OncoTargets and Therapy
• Subjects: pancreatic cancer; second-line; chemotherapy; targeted therapy
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/current-status-and-dilemma-of-second-line-treatment-in-advanced-pancre-peer-reviewed-article-OTT

Jie Hua,1–4,* Si Shi,1–4,* Dingkong Liang,1–4 Chen Liang,1–4 Qingcai Meng,1–4 Bo Zhang,1–4 Quanxing Ni,1–4 Jin Xu,1–4 Xianjun Yu1–4 1Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 4Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal malignant diseases worldwide. The majority of patients present with advanced disease and, therefore, need palliative chemotherapy. Some chemotherapeutic regimens have been well established as first-line therapies and have been shown to increase survival; however, almost all patients with advanced pancreatic cancer will experience disease progression after first-line therapy. Nevertheless, many patients who retain good performance status after initial treatment remain good candidates for additional therapy. Historically, few studies have assessed second-line therapy, with most reports representing small phase II trials with variable findings; however, clinical research for second-line treatment has increased in the past decade, and several randomized controlled trials using different regimens have been published. The current literature shows varying results on treatment efficacy and tolerability. Thus, we reviewed the published data on the use of chemotherapy in the second-line setting for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. Keywords: pancreatic cancer, second-line, chemotherapy, targeted therapy