Neoadjuvant therapy at local versus outside institutions does not adversely impact surgical timing or long-term outcomes in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Background: Although high-volume centers are known to have better surgical outcomes, patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma often receive chemotherapy at treatment centers closer to home. This study aimed to determine whether treatment site of neoadjuvant therapy relative to surgery location impacts surgical timing and long-term outcomes.

Methods: All patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who underwent oncologic resection at a single, high-volume institution between January 2016 and February 2020 and had neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery were queried from a prospectively maintained database. Patients were sorted based on location of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Results: A total of 179 patients were included in the study. Seventy-four (41.3%) patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy at the same institution as their surgery (group A), 20 (11.2%) received chemotherapy outside of their surgical institution but within the same hospital/healthcare system (group B), and 85 (47.5%) received chemotherapy at an outside location (group C). The time from completion of neoadjuvant therapy to surgery was not significantly different between groups (A vs B vs C median [interquartile range]: 34.5 [14] vs 41.5 [24] vs 36 [22] days, P = .08). Thirty-day readmission rate was lower in group A (n (%): 1 (1.4%) vs 2 (10.0%) vs 11 (12.9%), P = .02). However, the 90-day mortality and overall survival did not differ significantly between groups.

Conclusion: Patients may receive neoadjuvant therapy at local centers without impacting surgical scheduling. Although these patients may experience higher postoperative readmission rates, perioperative mortality and long-term survival are not adversely affected by location of chemotherapy. Multidisciplinary care can be effectively practiced in different locations without affecting overall outcomes in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.