Association of Modified-FOLFIRINOX-Regimen-Based Neoadjuvant Therapy with Outcomes of Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer in Chinese Population

Background The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of modified-FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) regimens in Chinese patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) and to compare outcomes between patients with LAPC treated with mFOLFIRINOX-based neoadjuvant therapy (LAPC-N) and patients with LAPC who underwent upfront surgery (LAPC-S). Methods Forty-one patients with LAPC-N were enrolled prospectively. Imaging features, chemotherapy response, adverse events, perioperative complications, histology, and survival were analyzed. Seventy-four patients with resectable pancreatic cancer (RPC) (from April 2012 to November 2017) and 19 patients with LAPC-S (from April 2012 to March 2014) were set as observational cohorts, and data were collected retrospectively. LAPC-N patients with adequate response underwent surgical treatment, whereas continuous chemotherapy was given to LAPC-N patients who were not deemed resectable after treatment, and the response was re-evaluated every 2 months. Results Forty-one patients with LAPC received mFOLFIRINOX with a response rate of 37.1%. The most common severe adverse events were neutropenia and anemia. mFOLFIRINOX-based neoadjuvant therapy contributed to a remarkable decrease in CA19-9 level and tumor diameter. Fourteen LAPC-N patients underwent surgery (LAPC-N-S) after downstaging. Compared with LAPC-N-S cases, LAPC-S patients had longer operative time, more blood loss, and a higher risk of grade 5 complications. The median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of LAPC-N-S patients were 27.7 months and 19.3 months, respectively, which were similar to those of patients with RPC (30.0 months and 23.0 months) and much longer than those of patients with LAPC-S (8.9 months and 7.6 months), respectively. Conclusion Neoadjuvant chemotherapy such as the mFOLFIRINOX regimen can be recommended for Chinese patients with LAPC after dose modification. Patients with LAPC-N who underwent surgery obtained significantly improved survival compared with patients in the observational LAPC-S cohort, who did not undergo neoadjuvant therapy.