Gemcitabine, Cisplatin, and Radiation Therapy Followed By Surgery or Surgery Alone in Treating Patients With Localized Pancreatic Cancer That Can Be Removed By Surgery

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2009-10-01

Summary

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving chemotherapy together with radiation therapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Giving chemotherapy after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. It is not yet know whether giving chemotherapy together with radiation therapy before surgery is more effective than surgery alone in treating pancreatic cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well giving gemcitabine and cisplatin together with radiation therapy before surgery works compared to surgery alone in treating patients with localized pancreatic cancer that can be removed by surgery.

• Phase: Phase 2

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Interdisziplinare Arbeitsgruppe Gastrointestinaler Tumore der Deutschen Krebsgesellschaft
• Treatments: Cisplatin; Gemcitabine