Paclitaxel as a radiation sensitizer for locally advanced pancreatic cancer

Paclitaxel and concurrent radiation (paclitaxel/RT) have been evaluated by the Brown University Oncology Group (BrUOG) and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) in phase I and II studies for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The dose limiting toxicities were abdominal pain within the radiation field, nausea and anorexia. The phase II Brown University study, utilizing paclitaxel 50 mg/m(2) per week for 6 weeks with 50.4 Gy radiation, demonstrated modest locoregional activity and acceptable toxicity. The median and 1-year survival of paclitaxel/RT in the RTOG phase II study suggests an improvement over previous RTOG studies of fluorouracil (5-FU) and radiation. The addition of gemcitabine to paclitaxel and radiation has also demonstrated promising preliminary activity and a phase II study by the RTOG is being initiated.