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Treatment of Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.

Treatment of pancreatic cancer that is locally advanced may include the following:

  • Chemotherapy with or without targeted therapy.
  • Chemotherapy and chemoradiation.
  • Surgery (Whipple procedure, total pancreatectomy, or distal pancreatectomy).
  • Palliative surgery or stent placement to bypass blocked areas in ducts or the small intestine. Some patients may also receive chemotherapy and chemoradiation to shrink the tumor to allow for surgery.
  • A clinical trial of new anticancer therapies together with chemotherapy or chemoradiation.
  • A clinical trial of radiation therapy given during surgery or internal radiation therapy.

Palliative therapy can be started at any stage of disease. See the Palliative Therapy section for information about treatments that may improve quality of life or relieve symptoms in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Navigating Care disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. This information was sourced and adapted from Adapted from the National Cancer Institute's Physician Data Query (PDQ®) Cancer Information Summaries on www.cancer.gov.

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The Navigating Care Library includes articles about cancer, chemotherapy regimens and drugs from the the National Cancer Institute and other experts.