Dr. Daniel Von Hoff on Combination Treatments for Late Stage Pancreatic Cancer

Daniel Von Hoff, MD, the Physician-in-Chief and Director of Translational Research at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and a special consult with Baylor University College of Medicine, discuses combination treatments for pancreatic cancer.

Right now FOLFIRINOX and nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine are standard options for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer, says Von Hoff. These therapies have shown success in shrinking advanced disease and improving survival.

Several studies are looking at using FOLFIRINOX or nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine in combination with drugs that attack the microenvironment, making it easier for the drug to enter the tumor. These sorts of combination will be one major strategy in the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer, says Von Hoff. Preliminary data suggests that these combination treatments could result in higher response rates, but more investigation is needed to see if survival is improved.