Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Options
Video:
Treatment Options
Researchers are continuing to work to develop innovative therapies, giving people with this type of cancer hope.
Various treatments are used to treat cancer of the pancreas, including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy alone and chemotherapy with a targeted treatment. Depending on the stage of the cancer, your doctor may combine some of these treatments. Some of these options are explained in this section.
The chemotherapy drug gemcitabine is the most common treatment used for advanced pancreatic cancer that has spread. A large clinical study proved that taking Tarceva (erlotinib) while receiving gemcitabine is another option for treating pancreatic cancer.
| Treatment | How does it work? | When may this treatment be used? |
| Surgery | Surgery to remove the tumor offers the best chance for long term control of all types of pancreatic cancer. In general, a tumor is considered resectable if it has not spread (metastasized) beyond the pancreas and does not involve major blood vessels. About 15% of pancreatic adenocarcinoma is considered surgically resectable at the time of diagnosis. This can be done if the tumor is small and has not spread to other areas of your body. |
You should be in good overall health to have surgery. Surgery can be the first step in your treatment plan. It may be performed in patients with Stage I-III. |
| Radiation | Uses high-energy x-ray beams to shrink the tumor. Radiation may destroy cancer cells remaining after surgery. Radiation may be given alone or in combination with chemotherapy or other treatments. The chemotherapy drugs most commonly used in conjunction with radiation therapy are fluorouracil (5-FU) and gemcitabine. |
This may be done before surgery to make it easier to remove the tumor. Radiation can also be done after surgery. This treatment may be used in Stage II-III. However, it can also be used to shrink tumors in advanced pancreatic (Stage IV) to ease pain. Your overall health may not be good enough for you to have surgery. Or, the cancer may have spread to other areas in your body. If so, radiation treatment may be used instead of surgery. |
| Chemotherapy | Drugs used to destroy or slow the growth of cancer cells. |
Chemotherapy may be used with radiation to help shrink the tumor before surgery. It may be used after surgery or radiation to destroy any cancer cells that may have been left behind. |
| Targeted Therapy | Designed to affect only certain cancer cell activities. Helps slow the tumor growth and destroy cancer cells. |
May be used in combination with chemotherapy in first-line treatment. |
To learn more, please visit our Pancreatic Cancer Resource Center to find links to organizations that provide information and support to cancer patients and their caregivers.
are trademarks of OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
