Prolonged complete response following gemcitabine-erlotinib combined therapy in advanced pancreatic cancer

Czarnecka,Anna  M.; Korzeń,Piotr; Nowak‑Dement,Anna; Kukwa,Wojciech; Korniluk,Jan; Szczylik,Cezary

doi:10.3892/ol.2015.4009

Prolonged complete response following gemcitabine-erlotinib combined therapy in advanced pancreatic cancer

Authors:
- Anna M. Czarnecka
- Piotr Korzeń
- Anna Nowak‑Dement
- Wojciech Kukwa
- Jan Korniluk
- Cezary Szczylik
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Affiliations: Department of Oncology, Military Institute of Medicine, Warsaw 04‑141, Poland, Department of Otolaryngology, Czerniakowski Hospital, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw 00‑739, Poland
Published online on: December 7, 2015 https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2015.4009
Pages: 1101-1104

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Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal types of malignant solid tumor and is typically associated with a poor prognosis. The majority of patients are diagnosed with advanced‑stage disease, therefore, the median survival period is <6 months. Recently, a number of basic research projects and clinical trials were undertaken with the aim of improving treatment outcomes in pancreatic cancer; however, only one agent, erlotinib, passed the clinical trials. Erlotinib is an inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor, which when overexpressed in cancer, promotes angiogenesis, cell proliferation and inhibits apoptosis. The US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency approved erlotinib in combination with gemcitabine for the first‑line treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first to report a case of pancreatic cancer treated with this regimen alone to achieve a complete response (CR). A 40‑year‑old male with a medical history of chronic pancreatitis and hypertension was diagnosed with medically inoperable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Following palliative surgery, the patient began palliative gemcitabine and erlotinib chemotherapy. After three months, this treatment strategy resulted in a CR, as determined by imaging studies. Therapy was discontinued after 14 months due to the development of peritoneal metastases and the patient was referred for treatment with the folinic acid, 5‑fluorouracil, irinotecan and oxaliplatin regimen. A CR is rarely reported in pancreatic cancer, however, a treatment strategy of gemcitabine and erlotinib may induce rapid regression of advanced-stage disease.

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