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Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), in contrast to other benign chronic pancreatic diseases, can be cured with immunosuppressant drugs, thus the differentiation of AIP from pancreatic cancer is of particular interest in clinical practice. There is the possibility that some patients with AIP may develop pancreatic cancer, and this possibility contributes to increasing our difficulties in differentiating AIP from pancreatic cancer. We herein report the case of a 70-year-old man in whom pancreatic adenocarcinoma and AIP were detected simultaneously. We must carefully monitor AIP patients for the simultaneous presence of pancreatic cancer, even when a diagnosis of AIP is confirmed.

e14541 Background: The aim of the study was to determine prognostic factors for recurrence in resected pancreatic cancer. Methods: We analyzed retrospectively 47 patients who underwent pancreatic r...

The optimal treatment of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer remains to be elucidated. Chemo-radiotherapy is regarded as the treatment of choice, and studies have examined the sequential schedule of induction chemoradiotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy, with favourable results. This study investigated the principal clinical trials of chemoradiotherapy treatment in locally advanced pancreatic cancer in 2 patients. The 2 patients received induction chemotherapy with gemcitabine 1000 mg/mq day on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle for two cycles, followed by chemoradiotherapy with concurrent radiosensitizer bi-weekly gemcitabine 50 mg/mq for six weeks. Radiotherapy consisted of an external conformational 3D treatment administered to the pancreatic bed and locoregional nodes, with a total dose of 4500 Gy fractionated in 180 Gy/day, and a boost of 900 Gy to the neoplastic mass. Efficacy was evaluated four weeks after the end of treatment by a computed tomography (CT) scan and by fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/CT. The patients underwent further treatment with periodical instrumental evaluation. A disease control rate was observed in the two patients following sequential treatment, enhanced by subsequent treatment. The two patients remained alive 23–24 months following the diagnosis. The sequential treatment schedule therefore was an effective option in our locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients. A phase III trial and further investigation are required to verify this option in clinical practice.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the fourth cause of death in the Western world. Surgery remains the only treatment offering an advantage in terms of overall survival (5-year survival range, 15-25%), but unfortunately only 10-20% of patients present resectable disease at the time of diagnosis. Hence chemotherapy, possibly combined with radiation therapy, remains the only treatment option aimed at palliation of symptoms and ensuring a better quality of life. Notwithstanding the efforts to find more effective therapies for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, significant results have not yet been achieved. Increasing interest has focused on integrated treatments, i.e. chemotherapy combined with targeted therapies, and a better selection of patients. This study examines the principal clinical trials that will help give clinicians an overview of the progress made in the systemic therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer patients in recent years.