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Treatment Option Overview for Pancreatic Cancer
Source: Pancreatic Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: February 12, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
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Surgical resection, when feasible, remains the primary treatment modality for patients with pancreatic cancer. On occasion, resection can lead to long-term survival, and it provides effective palliation.[1-3][Level of evidence C1] Treatment is often guided by resectability, but this may vary depending on surgical judgment and experience. Referral to a high-volume center should be considered.[4]
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Postoperative chemotherapy improves overall survival, but the role of chemoradiation remains controversial.
Complications of pancreatic cancer include:
Malabsorption: Frequently, malabsorption caused by exocrine insufficiency contributes to malnutrition. Pancreatic enzyme replacement can help alleviate this problem.
Pain: Celiac axis and intrapleural nerve blocks can provide highly effective and long-lasting control of pain for some patients. For more information, see Cancer Pain.
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The survival rate of patients with any stage of pancreatic exocrine cancer is poor. Clinical trials are appropriate for patients with any stage of disease and should be considered before palliative approaches are selected.
Information about ongoing clinical trials for pancreatic cancer is available from the NCI website.
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| Clinical Stage | Treatment Options |
|---|---|
| Resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer | Neoadjuvant therapy |
| Surgery | |
| Postoperative chemotherapy | |
| Postoperative chemoradiation therapy | |
| Preoperative chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy (under clinical evaluation) | |
| Alternative radiation techniques (under clinical evaluation) | |
| Locally advanced pancreatic cancer | Chemotherapy with or without targeted therapy |
| Chemoradiation therapy | |
| Surgery | |
| Palliative surgery | |
| Clinical trials evaluating novel agents in combination with chemotherapy or chemoradiation therapy for patients with unresectable tumors | |
| Intraoperative radiation therapy and/or implantation of radioactive sources (under clinical evaluation) | |
| Metastatic or recurrent pancreatic cancer | Chemotherapy with or without targeted therapy |
| Clinical trials evaluating new anticancer agents alone or in combination with chemotherapy |
Palliative therapies can be considered in patients with any stage of disease. For more information, see the Palliative Therapy section.
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Preserved source evidence · Not medical advice