Second- and third-line chemotherapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma: feasibility and potential benefits in a retrospective series of 117 patients.

Background: Chemotherapy is effective in metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC), but the benefits of second- and third-line chemotherapy remain unclear.

Methods: We studied all patients followed consecutively for metastatic PAC, and registered at our institution between 1997 and 2006. We retrospectively analyzed the following data in terms of chemotherapy: tumor response; time to tumor progression (TTP) for each line; and overall survival (OS).

Chemotherapy as initial treatment of locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer: a valid option?

Introduction: Radio-chemotherapy is the standard treatment for locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer (LAPC). Chemotherapy has been shown to be effective in the treatment of metastatic disease and we therefore evaluated its use as a first-line treatment for LAPC.

Patients And Methods: We carried out a retrospective analysis of all consecutive patients treated for LAPC (N=33) between July 1997 and April 2005, analysing the results of first-line chemotherapy (CT group) and radio-chemotherapy (RCT group) in this setting.

[Yersinia enterocolitica: a cause of acute intestinal intussusception].

Objectives: Yersinia enterocolitica infection is a rare cause of intestinal intussusception, especially in adults. We report here a case in a 29-year-old man and review the literature on diagnosis and therapy.

Case Report: A 29-year-old man presented with a 2-week history of diarrhea and weight loss.

[Increase of alpha-fetoprotein in pancreatic endocrine tumors with hepatic metastases. Apropos of 2 cases].

We report two cases of metastatic non-functioning pancreatic endocrine tumour with very elevated plasma levels of alpha-fetoprotein. In these two cases, serial plasma levels of alpha-fetoprotein, initially normal, correlated well with hepatic tumour progression and were associated with fatal outcome. These results suggest that elevated plasma concentration of alpha-fetoprotein may be caused by metastatic pancreatic endocrine tumour and than alpha-fetoprotein serial measurement may be useful in prognostic evaluation.