Prognostic Relevance of the Timing of Initiating and the Completion of Adjuvant Therapy in Patients with Resected Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although the role of adjuvant therapy in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is well established, its optimal timing and duration are still controversial. METHODS: The study included 311 patients with PDAC who underwent curative resection followed by adjuvant therapy. We analyzed survival data according to the timing of initiation and completion of adjuvant therapy. RESULTS: There were no differences in 5-year overall survival (OS) (32.8 vs. 35.4%, p = 0.539) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates (26.2 vs. 23.3%, p = 0.865) between early (≤6 weeks) and late (>6 weeks) initiation of adjuvant therapy. However, the 5-year OS (42.6 vs. 22.2%, p < 0.001) and DFS (29.2 vs. 18.4%, p = 0.042) rates were significantly greater in patients with complete versus incomplete adjuvant therapy. Multivariable analysis revealed that incomplete adjuvant therapy was an independent prognostic factor for decreased OS (p = 0.001; hazard ratio 1.850; 95% confidence interval 1.266-2.702). CONCLUSIONS: The results show that complete adjuvant therapy is a more important prognostic factor than early initiation for improving the survival of patients with resected PDAC.