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Chemo Before Surgery May Help With Pancreatic Cancer, But Doesn’t Extend Life

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Chemo Before Surgery May Help With Pancreatic Cancer, But Doesn’t Extend Life

A new study has looked at whether giving chemotherapy before surgery helps people with early-stage pancreatic cancer. The answer is: it helps with surgery but doesn’t seem to improve how long people live.

The study focused on patients with resectable pancreatic cancer. This means the tumor can be removed by surgery. Researchers compared two groups—those who had chemotherapy first (called neoadjuvant therapy, or NAT), and those who went straight to surgery.

They found that people who had NAT were more likely to have a “clean” surgery, with no cancer left at the edges of the removed tissue. This lowers the chance of the cancer coming back. They also had fewer serious complications after surgery, like infections or bleeding, though this result wasn’t strong enough to be called certain.

But when it came to survival—how long patients lived—there was no difference between the two groups. Both groups lived about the same length of time.

This means that starting with chemo may make surgery more successful and possibly safer, but it doesn’t guarantee a longer life. Doctors may still choose NAT for some patients, especially if shrinking the tumor first could help with surgery.

If you’re facing surgery for pancreatic cancer, ask your care team whether chemo before surgery might be a good choice in your case.

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Dr Harsh Shah - GI & HPB Oncosurgeon in Ahmeadbad
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