Neoadjuvant therapy is associated with lower margin positivity rates after Pancreaticoduodenectomy in T1 and T2 pancreatic head cancers: An analysis of the National Cancer Database

Neoadjuvant Treatment Versus Upfront Surgery in Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

PURPOSE

Pancreatic cancer (PC) has an overall 5-year survival rate of 10%. The use of neoadjuvant chemoradiation is debated in resectable disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by pancreaticoduodenectomy (NACRT) versus upfront pancreaticoduodenectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy (USR) in resectable PC.

METHODS

A decision tree model was used to estimate the cost-effectiveness of NACRT versus USR. Values from the published literature populate the tree: costs from Medicare (FY2021) reimbursements, and morbidity and survival data for quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Patients with resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma who qualified for resection were included. The ICER was the primary outcome. The model was validated using one-way and two-way deterministic, as well as probabilistic sensitivity analyses.

RESULTS

The base case was modeled using a 65-year-old male. NACRT yielded 1.61 QALYs at $45,483.52 USD. USR yielded 1.47 QALYs at a discount of $6,840.96 USD. The ICER was $48,130 USD, which favors NACRT. One-way sensitivity analyses upheld these results except when ≤ 21.0% of NACRT patients proceeded to surgery and when ≤ 85.4% of NACRT patients were resectable at surgery. Two-way sensitivity analyses also favored NACRT except in cases when the proportion of resected disease after NACRT decreased. NACRT was favored in 94.3% of 100,000 random-sampling simulations.

CONCLUSION

It is more cost-effective to administer NACRT before surgery for patients with resectable PC. On the basis of sensitivity analyses, USR with adjuvant therapy is only favored if rates of resection and eligibility for resection after NACRT decrease. NACRT should be considered in all patients unless there is an absolute contraindication.

Present status and perspective of perioperative chemotherapy for patients with resectable pancreatic cancer in Japan

Adjuvant chemotherapy is the standard treatment for patients with resectable pancreatic ductal carcinoma. Perioperative chemotherapy has been given in less than 50% of patients with potentially resectable pancreatic cancer in Japan. A modified combination regimen of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFIRINOX; oxaliplatin 85 mg/m², leucovorin 400 mg/m², irinotecan 150 mg/m² on day 1, and 5-fluorouracil 2,400 mg/m² over 46 hours every 14 days for 12 cycles) is now preferred worldwide because it mitigates concerns regarding toxicity and tolerance. Adjuvant chemotherapeutic regimens employ S-1 in East Asia, whereas other areas use FOLFIRINOX, capecitabine plus gemcitabine, or gemcitabine monotherapy. Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy is not recommended because randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses revealed no survival benefit compared with chemotherapy. Preoperative chemotherapy with S-1 and gemcitabine combination chemotherapy for patients with resectable/borderline resectable pancreatic cancer significantly increased survival compared to upfront surgery in a recent clinical trial. Perioperative outcomes, including R0 resection rate and post-operative morbidity, were not significantly different between groups. When compared to upfront surgery, neoadjuvant S-1 and gemcitabine treatment significantly reduced the number of pathological nodal metastases in patients who underwent resection. Japanese guidelines therefore recommend neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with resectable pancreatic cancer. Preoperative chemotherapy can increase R0 cases by down-staging with higher relative dose intensity of chemotherapy. In contrast, patients who do not respond to chemotherapy may miss resection opportunities and would therefore be at a disadvantage. Therefore, it is critical for both patients and doctors that predictive markers for the response to chemotherapy are identified.

Landmark Series: Importance of Pancreatic Resection Margins

An important goal of cancer surgery is to achieve negative surgical margins and remove all disease completely. For pancreatic neoplasms, microscopic margins may remain positive despite gross removal of the palpable mass, and surgeons must then consider extending resection, even to the point of completion pancreatectomy, an option that renders the patient with significant adverse effects related to exocrine and endocrine insufficiency. Counterintuitively, extending resection to ensure clear margins may not improve patient outcome. Furthermore, the goal of improving survival by extending the resection may not be achieved, as an initial positive margin may indicate more aggressive underlying tumor biology. There is a growing body of literature on this topic, and this landmark series review will examine the key publications that guide our management for resection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Clinical practice guidelines for the interventional treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer (5th edition)

Pancreatic cancer has become a major disease affecting people's health because of its insidiousness, rapid progression and poor prognosis. Based on the practical needs of clinical work, combined with domestic multi-center research and experience, this guideline provides constructive suggestions for the interventional treatment of pancreatic cancer.