Chemo & Radiation Combined

wannaknow · Senior User Joined: 19 Oct 2007 Posts: 145

Did a search but was hard to find anyone or a family member who was discussing a recommendation from the oncologist to have the treatments simultaneously.
Anyone with experience in this area?

brainman · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:39 pm Post subject: Re: Chemo & Radiation Combined

wannaknow, the chemo + radiation is a fairly common treatment for a lot of cancers. Sometimes they are thought to enhance each other. I do not know if this is normally or even frequently done with pancreatic cancer but I assume that it is a logical and aggressive course of action to deal with an illogical but aggressive cancer.

Best wishes.
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JKB · New User Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 5

Treatment options for Pc

1: Direct surgery:
Debate wether to perform this on PC with involvment of the v. porta.

2: Adjuvant treatment:
Performed after surgery: Either as
Chemotherapy alone: 2 trials showed effect(ESPAC-01. CONKO-01)
Chemoradiation: 1 trial showed effect(EORTC from 99) one showed adverse effect with increased ortality in the treated arm(ESPAC 01)

Since ESPAC and conko are european trials, europe generally gives adjuvant chemotherapy. EORTC is american and the US usually offers chemoradiation.
Omitted a japaneese trial due to differences in study population(but you can find it in a meta analysis from 2005 by Stocken)

3: Downstaging of locally advanced PC.
PC involving major vessels but no metastasis. At present debate wether to perfomr this. Often given as chemoradiation. Several studies has been performed but no conclusive effidense excists atm.
Chemoradiation is typically offered all locally advanced PC in the US, as a palliative treatment.

4: Paliative treatment
Unresectable or not candidate for downstaging, recieves gemcitabine based on a study from 1997 by Burris. 5-FU/capcitabine also has activity.
Combination therapy with gemcitabine/capcitabine or oxilaplating only is a benefit if the patient has very few symptoms.
chemotherapy has an effect on survival, but just as important it alliviates pain, obstruction and other symptoms. However if the patient does not have any benefit from the treatment, a decision about discontinuation should be considered after consulting the patient.

wannaknow · Senior User Joined: 19 Oct 2007 Posts: 145

Thanks for replies.

The combo tratment was started on my Mom this week............slow getting the ball rolling & ccordinating with two different oncologists but hopefully things will smooth out now that the "techs" are involved. So far no big side effects.
This will be an approx 6 week process (25-28 radiation treatments + 1 Chemo IV a week).
Fingers Crossed & one day at a time.

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