MANAGEMENT OF PANCREATIC-CARCINOMA

Pancreatic cancer is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death in the Un ited States. It is estimated that 27,000 patients die each year with t his diagnosis. The overall five-year survival of patients with pancrea tic cancer remains less than 5%, but some subsets of patients may have a better prognosis. Advanced imaging and laparoscopy have improved st aging to better select patients for potentially curative surgery, whil e the operative morbidity and mortality of the Whipple resection have decreased in recent years. Non-surgical therapies in current use inclu de chemotherapy, external-beam radiation therapy, and brachytherapy, a s well as pain management. More recently, gene insertion therapy has s hown promise in animal models. This review discusses current diagnosti c and treatment strategies for these patients and documents the need f or new strategies in the future.