Radically resected pancreatic cancer and adjuvant treatment. A review of the literature

Adjuvant therapy represents the gold standard treatment for radically resected pancreatic cancer. Results from randomized clinical trials confirmed the efficacy of adjuvant therapy for pancreatic cancer but did not define what is the "right choice" in terms of type of antiblastic drug (among gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil or other drugs), role of polychemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy. The objective of our study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of adjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy for radically resected pancreatic cancer through a systematic review of literature data, emphasizing the benefits regarding overall survival, disease-free survival and toxicity.