Perioperative Therapy for Resectable Pancreatic Cancer

Summary

This phase II trial studies how well giving combination chemotherapy together with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and surgery works in treating patients with localized pancreatic cancer that can be removed by surgery. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine hydrochloride, docetaxel, capecitabine, and oxaliplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Specialized radiation therapy, such as IMRT, that delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) together with intensity-modulated radiation therapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Giving chemotherapy after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery.

Timeline

Start

2008-01

Primary completion

2014-11

Completion

2016-12

Drugs

Indications