Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Pancreas Cancer

Chemotherapy is an outpatient treatment using drugs to kill cancer cells. In addition, chemotherapy may be used to help reduce pain and other problems caused by pancreatic cancer. Side effects depend mainly on the type of drug, how much is used, how often it is given and for how long.

While many new drugs are in the development process at universities and pharmaceutical companies, a recently approved chemotherapeutic agent called Gemcitabine is available for you today. It has been shown to reduce tumor size and symptoms, with fewer side effects than previous drugs. For many years, the use of a single drug, 5-Fluorouacil (5-FU), was the only available treatment for patients with pancreatic cancer. Ongoing studies are comparing gemcitabine to a combination of Gemcitabine and 5-FU and also exploring the addition of other forms of chemotherapy.

A new gene therapy is currently in clinical trials at UCSD. The treatment uses a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. Called TNFerade Biologic, the gene therapy involves a DNA carrier containing the gene for tumor necrosis factor-alpha, an immune system protein with potent and well-documented anti-cancer effects. TNFerade is being studied in combination with radiation therapy for first-time treatment of pancreatic cancer that is not operable.

Your medical oncologist will discuss these chemotherapy and gene therapy options with you as appropriate to your specific condition.

Pancreatic Cancer Program
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
3855 Health Sciences Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093
858-822-2124