Medical treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer

The medical treatment of pancreatic cancer refers to a treatment method that mainly includes chemotherapy, radiotherapy and various symptomatic supportive treatments.

Pancreatic cancer chemotherapy is mostly treated with combination chemotherapy. Commonly used drugs include fluorouracil, mitomycin, doxorubicin, carmustine, lomustine, streptozotocin, methotrexate, etc., but the chemotherapy effect is not good.

Radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer can not only improve symptoms, but also significantly prolong the patient's survival. Radiotherapy can be combined with chemotherapy, and can also be used before and after surgical treatment. Preoperative radiotherapy can localize tumors that are difficult to resect and improve the resection rate; combined with chemotherapy, it can improve the treatment effect; for patients who are not suitable for surgery, high-dose local irradiation and local radionuclide implantation irradiation treatment can significantly relieve their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Symptomatic treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer is also essential. For patients with intractable abdominal pain, analgesics or anesthetics can be given. If necessary, 50% ethanol or nerve anesthetics can be used for celiac plexus injection or sympathetic ganglion block therapy, or celiac neurectomy, or epidural anesthesia. In addition, various supportive therapies are also very important for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Patients can be given intravenous high nutrition and amino acid solution intravenous infusion to improve their nutritional status; patients with digestive and absorption disorders can be given appropriate pancreatic enzyme preparations; patients with severe obstructive jaundice can be given vitamin K, etc.