Neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX for locally advanced and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer: An intention to treat analysis

Objective

To assess clinical and pathologic efficacy of neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX for locally advanced (LAPC) and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC).

Methods

Patients receiving neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX for LAPC and BRPC treated between 2014 and 2017 were identified. Post-treatment patients achieving resectability were referred for surgery, whereas unresectable patients continued chemotherapy. Clinical and pathological data were retrospectively compared with control group consisting of 47 consecutive patients with BRPC undergoing pancreatic and portal vein resection between 2008 and 2017.

Results

Thirty LAPC and 23 BRPC patients were identified. Reasons for unresectability included disease progression (70%), locally unresectable disease (18%), and poor performance status (11%). Three patients (10%) with LAPC, and 20 (87%) with BRPC underwent curative surgery. Compared with control group, perioperative complication rate (4.3% versus 28.9%, p = 0.016), and pancreatic fistula rate (0 versus 14.8%, p = 0.08) were lower. Peripancreatic fat invasion (52.2% vs 97.8%, p = 0.001), lymph node involvement (22% vs 54.3%, p = 0.01), and surgical margin involvement (0 vs 17.4%, p = 0.04) were higher in the control group. Median survival was 34.3 months in BRPC patients operated after FOLFIRINOX and 26.1 months in the control group (p = 0.07). Three patients (13%) with complete pathological response are disease-free after mean follow-up of 19 months.

Conclusions

Whereas neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX rarely achieves resectability in patients with LAPC (10%), most BRPC undergo resection (87%). Neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX leads to complete pathological response in 13% of cases, tumor downstaging, and a trend towards improved survival compared with patients undergoing up-front surgery.