New treatment options in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer remains a major health problem. The number of patients with pancreatic cancer is increasing globally, and due to its high mortality rate it is one of the most frequent causes of cancer death in the world. There has been signifi cant improvement regarding the oncological treatment of pancreatic cancer during the last years. New drugs, new treatment protocols are available since 2011. More and more data support the advantage of neoadjuvant treatment compared to immediate surgery in borderline resectable disease, however appropriate patient selection is crucial. The use of mFOLFIRINOX was signifi cantly superior compared to gemcitabin therapy in the adjuvant setting and is now the new standard for fit patients. FOLFIRINOX and nab-paclitaxel + gemcitabine are the fi rst line treatment options for advanced disease. Maintenance therapy after induction FOLFIRINOX seems to be less toxic without impairment of effi cacy. Promising trials evaluating the use of predictive biomarkers are in progress. The development of oncological therapy together with the progress of surgical treatment and radiological imaging techniques could lead to the reduction of mortality rates in pancreatic cancer.