New Combination Therapy Improves Outcomes In Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 19 May 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Renuka Iyer, MD, Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, will present the results of a multicenter study led by Roswell Park that evaluated the combination of gemcitabine, capecitabine and bevacizumab in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, Monday June 2, at 8 am, at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), in Chicago, IL.

Advanced pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal of all solid tumors, with a median survival of only six months from diagnosis. An estimated 37,680 new cases of pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2008.

Gemcitabine and capecitabine have improved in the quality of life somewhat for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, but have not improved survival significantly. Bevacizumab reduces blood supply to tumors and has improved outcomes when added to chemotherapy for patients with colon, lung and breast cancers.

In a study of 50 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, the researchers found that the combination of bevacizumab, gemcitabine and capecitabine was well tolerated by the patients, can keep tumors from progressing for almost six months and improved median survival to 9.8 months for the entire group.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation's first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute- designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation's leading cancer centers. Roswell Park has affiliate sites and collaborative programs both nationally and internationally.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute