Preclinical studies of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for pancreatic carcinoma

✍ Scribed by John M. Robertson; Donna S. Shewach; Theodore S. Lawrence

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 572 KB
• Volume: 78
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19960801)78:3+<674::aid-cncr12>3.0.co;2-3

✦ Synopsis

The use of radiation therapy combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in the treatment of pancreatic cancer has been well established. It has been hypothesized that any benefit from combined 5-FU and radiation has been due to radiosensitization. Improved therapy could result from a better understanding of the mechanism of radiosensitization and the development of compounds capable of providing better radiosensitization. This article reviews preclinical findings on the mechanism of cytotoxicity and radiosensitization for 5-FU, fluorodeoxyuridine, thymidine analogs, and gemcitabine (Z',Z'-difluorodeoxycytidine) and discusses the clinical implications of these findings. Cancer 1996; 78674-9.