Pancreatic Cancer: Local Success and Distant Failure

The cure rate for pancreatic cancer remains less than 5% despite more than 20 years of clinical trials. Nevertheless, a select group of patients benefit from therapy at all stages of disease and important concepts regarding patient care have emerged. The development of agents such as gemcitabine and docetaxel have spurred a new generation of clinical trials in pancreatic cancer. An appreciation for the results of the many adjuvant and neoadjuvant trials and the application of lessons learned in the care of these patients is necessary to design the new trials.