Quality of life in a multicenter phase II trial of neoadjuvant full-dose gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, and radiation in patients with resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

226 Background: Pancreatic cancer remains incurable for the great majority of patients afflicted with the disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate health related quality of life (HRQoL) following neoadjuvant full dose gemcitabine, oxaliplatin and radiation therapy (30 Gy) for pancreatic adenocarcinoma in a multi-institutional Phase-II trial. Methods: Fifty-seven patients were evaluable for the HRQoL component of this trial that consisted of two cycles of neoadjuvant chemoradiation with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin followed by pancreatectomy and two additional cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. The effects of therapy on HRQoL were evaluated using: EORTC-C30, EORTC-PAN26 and FACT-HEP. Results: There were 20 patients (35%) with untreated resectable and 37 (65%) with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer. Thirty-nine patients (69%) completed two cycles of preoperative chemotherapy and surgery, 26 (40%) underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy and 9 (14%) a distal pancreatectomy. Twenty-six patients completed postoperative adjuvant therapy. The median age was 64 (range 42-82); patients younger than 65 had a higher global HRQoL score at 6 months (p=0.046) following the initiation of treatment. There was no difference in the HRQoL according to type of operation performed. EORTC-C30 Global HRQoL remained statistically and clinically unchanged compared to baseline levels at all time-points. FACT-Hep Trial Outcome Index and Total score showed a statistically significant but not clinically meaningful decline following cycle 2 of neoadjuvant treatment (p=0.002 and p=0.004), returning back to baseline levels after 6 months. This may in part be explained by a decrease in the functional (p=0.004) and physical (p=0.001) wellbeing, an increase in diarrhea (p=0.044), digestive symptoms (p=0.037) and an increased fatigue (p<0.001). Conclusions: We report that this neoadjuvant chemoradiation protocol did not have a clinical impact on global HRQoL. Overall this regimen was well tolerated with no negative effect on quality of life following the conclusion of treatment. Clinical trial information: NCT00456599.