ABSTRACT
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the greatest challenges in oncology. In the year 2005, there will be an estimated 32,180 new cases of pancreatic cancer in the United States and 31,900 estimated deaths from the disease, making pancreatic cancer the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States (1). At present, surgery is the only means of cure. Unfortunately, only 5% to 25% of patients present with tumors amenable to resection. Historically, patients who do undergo resection for localized pancreatic carcinoma have a long-term survival of approximately 20% and a median survival of 13 to 20 months (2). Recent data suggest that the survival of patients who undergo resection of their pancreatic cancer may be improving, with new threeyear survival rates around 30% (3). Patients who present with unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic cancer have a median survival of approximately 9 to 13 months, with rare long-term survival. The highest percentage (40-45%) of patients present with metastatic disease, which carries a shorter median survival of only three to six months (4).The high mortality rate of pancreatic cancer is due to the high incidence of metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, a fulminant clinical course, and the lack of adequate systemic therapies.
