Background and purpose: To investigate the efficacy and toxicity of a short intensive Uracil/Tegafur (UFT) based chemoradiotherapy scheme combined with celecoxib in locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Material and methods: The Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam and the Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam enrolled 83 eligible patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer in a prospective multicentre phase II study. Median age was 62 years, median tumour size 40 mm and the majority of the patients (85%) had pancreatic head cancers. Treatment consisted of 20 × 2.5 Gy radiotherapy combined with UFT 300 mg/m2 per day, leucovorin (folinic acid) 30 mg and celecoxib 800 mg for 28 days concomitant with radiotherapy. Four patients were lost to follow-up. Results: Full treatment compliance was achieved in 55% of patients, 80% received at least 3 weeks of treatment. No partial or complete response was observed. Median survival was 10.6 months and median time to progression 6.9 months. Toxicity was substantial with 28% grades III and IV gastro-intestinal toxicity and two early toxic deaths. Conclusions: Based on the lack of response, the substantial toxicity of mainly gastro-intestinal origin and the reported mediocre overall and progression free survival, we cannot advise our short intensive chemoradiotherapy schedule combined with celecoxib as the standard treatment.

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doi.org/10.1016/j.radonc.2010.10.016, hdl.handle.net/1765/23416
Radiotherapy & Oncology
Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam

Morak, M., Richel, D., van Eijck, C., Nuyttens, J., van der Gaast, A., Verwenne, W., … van Tienhoven, G. (2011). Phase II trial of Uracil/Tegafur plus leucovorin and celecoxib combined with radiotherapy in locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Radiotherapy & Oncology, 98(2), 261–264. doi:10.1016/j.radonc.2010.10.016