Complete Response after Treatment with NeoadjuvantChemoradiation with Prolonged Chemotherapy for LocallyAdvanced, Unresectable Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas

Surgery is the only chance for cure in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. In unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic cancer(LAPC), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) suggests chemotherapy and consideration for radiation in casesof unresectable LAPC. Here we present a rare case of unresectable LAPC with a complete histopathological response afterchemoradiation followed by surgical resection. A 54-year-old female presented to our clinic in December 2013 with complaintsof abdominal pain and 30-pound weight loss. An MRI demonstrated a mass in the pancreatic body measuring6.2×3.2cm; biopsyrevealed proven ductal adenocarcinoma. Due to splenic vein/artery and contiguous celiac artery encasement, she was deemedsurgically unresectable. She was started on FOLFIRINOX therapy (three cycles), intensity modulated radiation to a dose of 54 Gy in30 fractions concurrent with capecitabine, followed by FOLFIRI, and finally XELIRI. After 8 cycles of ongoing XELIRI completedin March 2015, restaging showed a remarkable decrease in tumor size, along with PET-CT revealing no FDG-avid uptake. Shewas reevaluated by surgery and taken for definitive resection. Histopathological evaluation demonstrated a complete R0 resectionand no residual tumor. Based on this patient and literature review, this strategy demonstrates potential efficacy of neoadjuvantchemoradiation with prolonged chemotherapy, followed by surgery, which may improve outcomes in patients deemed previouslyunresectable.