Dr. Katz on Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer

Matthew H.G. Katz, MD, FACS, associate professor, Department of Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with pancreatic cancer.

One of the underlying rationales for giving preoperative therapy to patients with pancreatic cancer is to select those with rapidly progressive disease, particularly those who are not anticipated to benefit from an operation, prior to undergoing what would otherwise be a complex and potentially morbid operation, says Katz.

Chemotherapy, and potentially radiation therapy, is given prior to surgery and a certain number of those patients will progress during the administration of therapy, typically systemically, and those patients will then not then undergo an operation, explains Katz. Arguably, those patients are likely those who would develop metastases relatively soon after an operation had that been performed de novo, concludes Katz.