The prognostic impact of tumour location and first-line chemotherapy regimen in locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND

The prognostic impact of tumour location (pancreatic head vs. pancreatic body/tail) and first-line chemotherapy regimen (gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel vs. modified FOLFIRINOX) has not been fully elucidated in locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Therefore, we conducted this study to examine the prognostic impact of tumour location and first-line chemotherapy regimen.

METHODS

We retrospectively investigated locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients who initiated first-line chemotherapy (gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel or modified FOLFIRINOX) between March 2014 and December 2019. We compared clinical characteristics and survival outcomes according to chemotherapy regimen and tumour location. Furthermore, we examined the prognostic factors associated with overall survival using cox proportional hazards model. Distant metastasis pattern was also compared according to tumour location.

RESULTS

A total of 128 patients were included (GnP 95, mFFX 33; Ph 66, Pbt 62). Distribution of chemotherapy regimen was balanced between pancreatic head and pancreatic body/tail cancers. Eight patients underwent conversion surgery and 81 patients (63%) developed distant metastasis. Although patients receiving modified FOLFIRINOX were significantly younger and tended to have better performance status compared to patients receiving gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel, radiological tumour response, progression-free survival, overall survival and chemotherapy-related adverse events were similar between the two groups except for grades 3-4 anorexia (9% vs. 1%, P = 0.05). Furthermore, overall survival was similar between pancreatic head and pancreatic body/tail cancers. Conversion surgery and radiation therapy were identified as independent prognostic factors for overall survival. The most common site of distant metastasis was liver metastasis in both groups and pattern of distant metastasis was not different between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

In our experience, tumour location and first-line chemotherapy regimen were not a prognostic factor for overall survival in locally advanced pancreatic cancer.