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Clinical Decision Making in Pancreatic Cancer

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Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract:

Clinical decision-making has had limited application to patients with pancreatic cancer based on the relative lack of available therapeutic options compared with other malignancies. Nevertheless, sufficient clinical data has accumulated over the last two decades to provide oncologists with some basic tenets for more informed clinical decisions in partnership with their patients. These tenets rely on evidence-based information about tumor staging, patient performance status, and tumor biology which should facilitate the selection and timing of optimal therapy from various alternatives. Currently, these options include surgical intervention (curative or palliative), radiotherapy (as a component of adjuvant therapy or as treatment for locally advanced disease), and systemic chemotherapy. Importantly, psychosocial factors and medical comorbidities which may influence a patient’s compliance with, or tolerance to specific therapies must be openly discussed without prejudice. This review provides stage-specific recommendations for clinicians to consider as they formulate their treatment plans for active anti-cancer therapy or supportive care.

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  1. Department of GI Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Robert A. Wolff

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Wolff, R.A. (2010). Clinical Decision Making in Pancreatic Cancer. In: Pancreatic Cancer. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-77498-5_26

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