Drug development and clinical trial design in pancreatico-biliary malignancies

Pancreatico-biliary (P-B) tumors arise from the pancreas, bile duct, and ampulla of Vater. Despite their close anatomical location, they have different etiology and biology. However, they uniformly share a poor prognosis, with no major improvements observed in overall survival over decades, even in the face of progress in diagnostic imaging and surgical techniques, and advances in systemic and loco-regional radiation therapies. To date, cytotoxic treatment has been associated with modest benefits in the advanced disease setting, and survival for patients with stage IV disease has not exceeded a year.
Source: Current Problems in Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research