BACKGROUND

The benefits of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) in pancreatic cancer (PC) have been realized and gradually accepted. FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel (GA) are the two most widely used regimens for PC NCT.

METHODS

The literature was systematically reviewed by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library for studies published until September 2020.

RESULTS

Eight studies were eligible for the meta-analysis. Compared to GA, neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX significantly prolonged overall survival [hazard ratio (HR) =0.65, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.55-0.77; P<0.001]. FOLFIRINOX provided better survival benefits in the first three years after surgery; however, the 4- and 5-year survival probabilities of the two strategies were similar based on a conservative estimation in the random effect model. The perioperative parameters analysed included perineural invasion (PNI), lymphovascular invasion (LVSI), R0 status, postoperative complications and resection rate. The PNI rate was marginally elevated in the GA group compared with the FOLFIRINOX cohort [79.8% 70.5%, odds ratio (OR) =0.70, 95% CI: 0.47-1.06, P=0.09], which may account for the potential survival benefits of FOLFIRINOX.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of our meta-analysis suggest that FOLFIRINOX is non-inferior to GA in patients who are FOLFIRINOCX capable.