Background: Neoadjuvant therapy is increasingly utilized in the management of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The type of neoadjuvant therapy and its effect on pathologic response remains understudied.
Methods: A retrospective review was performed on patients who underwent neoadjuvant therapy followed by pancreatectomy. Multivariable regressions were used to determine associations between neoadjuvant therapy regimens and pathologic response.
Results: Seventy-five patients with pathologic responses available for review received FOLFIRINOX (61%) or gemcitabine with nab-paclitaxel (39%). Demographics, histologic differentiation, and utilization of chemoradiation were similar between the groups. Multivariable logistic regression demonstrated that chemoradiation was associated with an increased likelihood of a complete or near-complete pathologic response and a decreased rate of lymphovascular invasion and lymph node positivity. Neither chemotherapy regimen nor number of cycles administered were associated with pathologic response.
Conclusions: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation may be associated with complete or near-complete pathologic response regardless of chemotherapy regimen in pancreatic cancer patients.
Keywords: Neoadjuvant therapy; Pancreatic cancer; Pathologic response.
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