Chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer

Macmillan Cancer Support Medical Reference

Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells. It is one of the most commonly used treatments for pancreatic cancer.

Why chemotherapy is given

It may be given after surgery to try to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back. This is known as adjuvant chemotherapy.

If the cancer can’t be removed by surgery, chemotherapy may help to shrink and control it for a time. Chemotherapy may also be used to relieve symptoms caused by the cancer.

Chemotherapy may be given together with radiotherapy. This is known as chemoradiation.

How chemotherapy is given

Some chemotherapy drugs are given as tablets, but most are given by injection into a vein (intravenously). Intravenous chemotherapy can be given into a vein in your arm or hand, or through a flexible plastic tube (a central line) that sits in a vein just under your collarbone at the top of your chest.

Whether chemotherapy is given as tablets or into a vein, the drugs are absorbed into the blood and carried all round the body. The chemotherapy then destroys cancer cells wherever they are in the body.

Chemotherapy is usually given as several sessions of treatment. Each treatment is followed by a rest period of a few weeks to allow your body to recover from any side effects. The treatment and the rest period together make up what’s called a cycle of treatment. The number of cycles you have will depend on the drugs that are used, and how well the treatment is working. This is checked by your doctor at regular appointments.

Most people can have their chemotherapy as an outpatient.

A number of research trials are being carried out to try to improve the results of treatment for pancreatic cancer. You may be invited to take part in a trial.

The drugs used

The chemotherapy drugs used to treat pancreatic cancer include:

• gemcitabine (Gemzar®)
• 5-flourouracil (5FU)
• cisplatin
• capecitabine (Xeloda®)
• oxaliplatin (Eloxatin®)
• mitomycin.

It’s unusual for more than one chemotherapy drug to be given at a time to treat pancreatic cancer. But sometimes gemcitabine is given in combination with capecitabine tablets. Other combinations of drugs may be given in research trials. Clinical trials are also looking at treatments called biological therapies. These treatments interfere with the way that cancer cells grow.