New hope for people with pancreatic cancer

A new treatment regimen for locally advanced pancreatic cancer may allow surgery to remove the tumor and improve the survival rate.

"Local" pancreatic cancer means limited to the pancreas, but tumors are still related to large abdominal blood vessels and often cannot be removed surgically. This is one of the worst forms of this deadly cancer, according to researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (USA).

However, the results of their new clinical trials can bring new hope for such patients.

Local progressive pancreatic cancer is often considered an incurable disease.

According to WebMD, the trial was performed on 49 patients who were treated in combination with chemotherapy and intensive radiation therapy, as well as losartan blood pressure medication. The use of combination therapy allowed 34 of the 49 participants to continue surgery to remove the tumor, according to the team's report dated 30/5 on JAMA Oncology. And in 30 patients (61%), surgery ("excision") removed all cancer sequelae around the tumor.

The treatment regimen also significantly improved survival rates, the team said.

As research co-author, PhD. Janet Murphy explains : "For a long time, about 40% of pancreatic cancer patients, either progressing locally or progressing on the border with other agencies, have a very low rate of successful surgery." Dr. Murphy works at the hospital's hematology / cancer department.

"It is possible to successfully eliminate primary tumors in 61% of patients who bring a lot of hope , " TS. Murphy said. "An important part of the success of the method is that the doctor is ready for surgery even in patients who have cancer at or near the bloodstream."

She said that a previous study suggested that the spread of tumors and the ability to remove tumors after chemotherapy and radiotherapy "are no longer clearly correlated." That " green light" for doctors to perform surgery.

Dr. Jennifer Wo, co-author of the study, said: " Local progressive pancreatic cancer is often considered an incurable disease, so these results marked a significant improvement in both rates. transform into surgical ability and long-term disease results ".

An expert who did not participate in the trial agreed that the method could be a new option for pancreatic cancer patients.

"The most important thing, the results show that they can successfully eliminate primary tumors in 61% of patients, which definitely sets a new benchmark in the treatment of pancreatic cancer , " said Dr. Wasif Saif, director of the Northwell Cancer Health Institute, said.

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