FACT: Chemotherapy can improve quality of life and help patients live longer.
Every pancreatic cancer patient should be referred to a medical oncologist who specializes in this disease and understands all available treatment options, including clinical trials.
What Is Chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy involves powerful drugs that disrupt cancer cell growth, aiming to stop the cancer from spreading. These drugs can be delivered intravenously or in pill form. While chemotherapy affects both cancer and normal cells, the goal is to eliminate cancerous cells while managing side effects.
The Role of a Medical Oncologist: A medical oncologist is responsible for:
- Explaining the diagnosis, disease stage, and treatment options, including clinical trials.
- Treatment plans vary depending on the stage, diagnosis and health of the patient.
- Managing treatments to control symptoms and slow cancer progression.
- Supervising supportive care, including symptom management for pain, nausea, and loss of appetite.
Key options include:
- Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a test that quickly analyzes a patient’s DNA to look for genetic changes linked to cancer. These results can help doctors choose treatments that target the specific mutations found in a tumour.
- Neoadjuvant Therapy: Treatment before surgery to shrink the tumor, making surgery possible.
- Adjuvant Therapy: Treatment after surgery to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence or address residual cancer.
- Palliative Care: Symptom and pain management to maintain quality of life, especially when a cure isn’t possible.
First-Line Treatments for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer:
Gemzar® (Gemcitabine): Approved in 1996, used before or after surgery.
FOLFIRINOX: A combination of four chemotherapy drugs, recommended for patients healthy enough to tolerate side effects.
Abraxane® (Albumin-bound Paclitaxel): Used in combination with Gemzar® for metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Second-Line Treatments:
ONIVYDE® (liposomal irinotecan): A second-line treatment used when cancer progresses after initial chemotherapy. While approved, it is not yet covered by public insurance in Canada.
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