Dr. O'Reilly on Nab-Paclitaxel Plus Gemcitabine Versus FOLFIRINOX in Pancreatic Cancer

Eileen M. O’Reilly, MD, associate director, David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine versus FOLFIRINOX as frontline treatment for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

O’Reilly says the decision to use one treatment over the other is a topic of hot debate. It is important to keep in mind that clinical trials evaluating nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine and FOLFIRINOX were done on different patient populations. Examining the bottom line of the two studies, it appears that FOLFIRINOX has the edge, in terms of efficacy. However, performance status and age have a big impact on outcomes, making cross comparison biased, notes O'Reilly.

Even though this issue is an important question to answer, O’Reilly feels that it might not warrant the resources required for a clinical trial, since both treatments are beneficial and provide further options for patients with pancreatic cancer.

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