Introduction | Anatomy | Abstracting, Coding, & Staging | Treatment | Hands-on Exercise |
Other Therapies
Surgery (1) | Surgery (2) | Surgery (3) | Other Therapies | Unit Review |

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy in combination with chemotherapy is an option in selected cases of pancreatic cancer.

Palliative radiation is helpful in managing liver pain, whether primary or metastatic.

Particle beam radiation therapy is under evaluation for pancreatic cancers, as is intraoperative radiation therapy.

The use of radiation sensitizers to improve the results of radiation therapy is under clinical evaluation for extrahepatic bile duct cancers.

Systemic Therapy

Drugs Commonly Used for Treating Biliary Tract Cancers

Chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer

5 FU

Chemotherapy for liver cancer

Hepatic artery infusion regional perfusion of liver by means of a chemotherapy pump that provides a continuous flow of drug into the liver. Agents used include:

5 FU
Floxuridine (FUDR)
Cisplatin

Chemotherapy for other biliary tract cancers

Adriamycin
5 FU
methyl CCNU
Mitomycin (under clinical evaluation)

Chemotherapy is not useful for gallbladder cancers.

Hormones

(not shown to be effective for pancreatic or biliary tract cancers)

Biological Response Modifiers

(under clinical evaluation)