Folfirinox versus gemcitabine-cisplatin combination as first-line therapy in treatment of pancreaticobiliary cancer

Background/aim: The purpose of this study was to compare efficacy and safety of a combination chemotherapy regimen consisting of oxaliplatin, irinotecan, fluorouracil, and leucovorin (FOLFIRINOX) and gemcitabine-cisplatin as first-line therapy in patients with pancreatic cancer. Materials and methods: Pancreaticobiliary cancer patients who had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0 or 1 (on a scale of 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater severity of illness) were evaluated to receive folfirinox or gemcitabine plus cisplatin. The primary endpoints were progression-free and overall survival time. Safety analysis was also evaluated as secondary measures. Results: There were 32 patients in the folfirinox group and 36 patients in the gemcitabine-cisplatin group. The median overall survival was 18.1 months (7.5-28.7) in the folfirinox group as compared with 9.7 months (6.5-13) in the gemcitabine-cisplatin group (p = 0.009). Median progression-free survival was 16.2 months (9-23.4) in the folfirinox group and 6.9 months (6.1-7.6) in the gemcitabinecisplatin group (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Folfirinox is an option for the first-line treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer and good performance status.

Automated summary

This study compared the efficacy and safety of FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine-cisplatin as first-line therapy in pancreatic cancer patients. It found that FOLFIRINOX showed significant advantages in overall survival and progression-free survival compared to gemcitabine-cisplatin for patients with good performance status.