Gemcitabine or Combination Chemotherapy Followed by Chemoradiation for Stage IB, II, or III Pancreatic Cancer
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2009-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine hydrochloride, cisplatin,
epirubicin hydrochloride, fluorouracil, and capecitabine, 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. It is not yet known whether
gemcitabine hydrochloride is more effective when given alone or together with combination
chemotherapy and radiation therapy in treating patients with pancreatic cancer.
PURPOSE: This randomized phase II/III trial is studying gemcitabine hydrochloride to see how
well it works when given alone or together with combination chemotherapy and radiation
therapy in treating patients with stage IB, stage II, or stage III pancreatic cancer.