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World J Gastroenterol. Mar 7, 2014; 20(9): 2224-2236
Published online Mar 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i9.2224
Beyond first-line chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer: An expanding array of therapeutic options?
Evan J Walker, Andrew H Ko
Evan J Walker, Andrew H Ko, University of California, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA 94115, United States
Author contributions: Walker EJ performed the literature search; Walker EJ and Ko AH designed and wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Andrew H Ko, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of California, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1600 Divisadero St, Box 1705, San Francisco, CA 94115, United States. andrewko@medicine.ucsf.edu
Telephone: +1-415-3537286 Fax: +1-415-3537984
Received: October 16, 2013
Revised: December 13, 2013
Accepted: January 3, 2014
Published online: March 7, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: No standard of care exists for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who have progressed on front-line chemotherapy. To date, most available evidence has come from small non-randomized studies, with efficacy results that have been fairly dismal. In this review, we discuss both traditional and novel cytotoxic and targeted therapies that have been evaluated in this refractory setting and how they may (or may not) be applicable to clinical practice; and raise considerations for clinical trial design in the future, particularly in this current era of both expanding chemotherapeutic options and molecular/“precision” medicine.