Chemoradiotherapy for pancreatic cancer. Current status and perspectives

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is currently regarded as one of the standard treatment options for inoperable pancreatic cancer. However several unsolved issues exist in treating pancreatic cancer, including the optimal radiation treatment volume, dose-fractionation, the use of gemcitabine or other new agents-based chemoradiotherapy, and even whether chemoradiotherapy is superior to chemotherapy alone. The role of pre- or postoperative chemoradiotherapy for operable disease remains still less established. This article reviews the recent clinical studies, and summarizes the current status and perspectives of chemoradiotherapy for pancreatic cancer. (author)