American journal of clinical oncology
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Am. J. Clin. Oncol. · Feb 2004
Multicenter Study Clinical TrialPhase II study of external irradiation and weekly paclitaxel for nonmetastatic, unresectable pancreatic cancer: RTOG-98-12.
Unresectable cancer of the pancreas was treated with the combination of weekly paclitaxel and external beam irradiation in an effort to improve palliation and extend life expectancy. One hundred twenty-two patients were entered in a multicentered protocol. Thirteen patients were either ineligible, cancelled, or had delinquent data, thus providing 109 for analysis. ⋯ External irradiation plus concurrent weekly paclitaxel is well tolerated when given with large-field radiotherapy. The median survival is better than historical results achieved with irradiation and fluoropyrimidines. These data provide the basis for a new Radiation Therapy Oncology Group trial using paclitaxel and irradiation combined with a second radiation sensitizer, gemcitabine, now under way.