From the Guidelines
The life expectancy for patients with pancreatic cancer is generally poor, with a 5-year overall survival rate of less than 5% 1.
Life Expectancy by Stage
- Localized disease: median survival of approximately 20-28 months 1
- Regionally advanced disease: median survival of approximately 15 months
- Metastatic disease: median survival of approximately 6-11 months
Treatment Options
Treatment with gemcitabine 1000mg/m² weekly for 7 weeks 1, or a combination of fluorouracil 200mg/m²/day and oxaliplatin 85mg/m² every 2 weeks, may improve survival outcomes. Additionally, patients with resectable disease who undergo surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine 1000mg/m² weekly for 6 months may experience improved overall survival rates 1.
Resectability
Less than 20% of all patients have resectable disease 1, and even with negative margins, recurrence rates are very high 1. Therefore, additional therapy is required for all patients with resected pancreatic cancer.
Neoadjuvant Therapy
An emerging approach to perioperative treatment is neoadjuvant therapy for patients with borderline resectable disease, who are at higher risk for R1 resections, and patients with resectable disease, especially in those with high-risk features 1.
From the Research
Life Expectancy for Pancreatic Carcinoma Patients
- The life expectancy for patients with pancreatic carcinoma varies depending on the stage and treatment of the disease 2, 3, 4.
- For patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs), life expectancy is lower than that of the general population, but can be near normal for those who undergo surgical resection of localized well-differentiated tumors 2.
- Patients with metastatic high-grade tumors not amenable to surgery have life expectancies of only 1 to 4 years, depending on patient age 2.
- For patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the median survival time is around 9.8 months, with 1-year survival rates of 74%, 30%, and 16% for localized, locally advanced, and metastatic disease, respectively 4.
- The use of standard approved multi-agent therapy in recurrent pancreatic cancer can improve overall survival, with a median OS of 14 months compared to 8 months for non-standard combinations and single agent therapy 5.
Factors Affecting Life Expectancy
- Patient age, cancer stage, tumor grade, and treatment modality are significant factors affecting life expectancy in pancreatic carcinoma patients 2, 3, 4.
- Surgical treatment can improve life expectancy, especially for patients with localized disease 2, 3, 4.
- The use of chemotherapy and other systemic therapies can also improve overall survival in patients with advanced disease 5, 6.