[Modern systemic therapy of advanced pancreatic cancer: impact on overall survival and medico economical aspects].

More than 75% of patients with advanced pancreas cancer present at a later stage, when only palliative chemotherapy can be offered as the main treatment. Since introduced, gemcitabine has significantly improved the symptomatic impact of the disease, and this single-agent therapy still remains the gold-standard treatment aside of any exploratory protocol. Survival benefits have however been marginal, although a minority of long-term survivors now survives their disease up to two or three years. Results from a retrospective study conducted on cases followed by the oncosurgery service of the Geneva University Hospital from 1993 to 2003 support this observation, and show a trend towards a parallel increase in ambulatory-incurred costs.