Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Clinical Study

Role of FOLFIRINOX and chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced and borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma: update of the AGEO cohort

Abstract

Background

FOLFIRINOX has shown promising results in locally advanced (LAPA) or borderline resectable (BRPA) pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We report here a cohort of patients treated with this regimen from the AGEO group.

Methods

This is a retrospective multicentre study. We included all consecutive patients with non-pre-treated LAPA or BRPA treated with FOLFIRINOX.

Results

We included 330 patients (57.9% male, 65.4% <65 years, 96.4% PS <2). Disease was classified as BRPA in 31.1% or LAPA in 68.9%. Objective response rate with FOLFIRINOX was 29.5% and stable disease 51%. Subsequent CRT was performed in 46.4% of patients and 23.9% had curative intent surgery. Resection rates were 42.1% for BRPA and 15.5% for LAPA. Main G3/4 toxicities were fatigue (15%), neutropenia (12%) and neuropathy (G2/3 35%). After a median follow-up of 26.7 months, median OS (mOS) and PFS were 21.4 and 12.4 months, respectively. For patients treated by FOLFIRINOX alone, or FOLFIRINOX followed by CRT, or FOLFIRINOX + /− CRT + surgery, mOS was 16.8 months, 21.8 months and not reached, respectively (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

FOLFIRINOX for LAPA and BRPA seems to be effective with a manageable toxicity profile. These promising results in “real-life” patients now have to be confirmed in a Phase 3 randomised trial.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Study flowchart showing the treatments according to BRPA and LAPA populations.
Fig. 2: Survival curves in the overall study population.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Siegel, R. L., Miller, K. D. & Jemal, A. Cancer statistics, 2018. CA Cancer J. Clin. 68, 7–30 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Institut National du Cancer. Les cancers en France en 2015, l’essentiel des faits et chiffres. http://www.e-cancer.fr/Expertises-et-publications/Catalogue-des-publications/Les-cancers-en-France-en-2015-L-essentiel-des-faits-et-chiffres (2016).

  3. Stathis, A. & Moore, M. J. Advanced pancreatic carcinoma: current treatment and future challenges. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. 7, 163–172 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ducreux, M., Cuhna, A. S., Caramella, C., Hollebecque, A., Burtin, P., Goéré, D. et al. Cancer of the pancreas: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Ann. Oncol. 26, v56–v68 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Katz, M. H. G., Marsh, R., Herman, J. M., Shi, Q., Collison, E., Venook, A. P. et al. Borderline resectable pancreatic cancer: need for standardization and methods for optimal clinical trial design. Ann. Surg. Oncol. 20, 2787–2795 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Tempero, M. A., Malafa, M. P., Chiorean, E. G., Czito, B., Scaife, C., Narang, A. K. et al. Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, Version 1.2019. J. Natl Compr. Cancer Netw. 17, 202–210 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Neoptolemos, J. P., Palmer, D. H., Ghaneh, P., Psarelli, E. E., Valle, J. W., Halloran, C. M. et al. Comparison of adjuvant gemcitabine and capecitabine with gemcitabine monotherapy in patients with resected pancreatic cancer (ESPAC-4): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial. Lancet 389, 1011–1024 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Suker, M., Beumer, B. R., Sadot, E., Marthey, L., Faris, J. E., Mellon, E. A. et al. FOLFIRINOX for locally advanced pancreatic cancer: a systematic review and patient-level meta-analysis. Lancet Oncol. 17, 801–810 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Chauffert, B., Mornex, F., Bonnetain, F., Rougier, P., Mariette, C., Bouché, O. et al. Phase III trial comparing intensive induction chemoradiotherapy (60 Gy, infusional 5-FU and intermittent cisplatin) followed by maintenance gemcitabine with gemcitabine alone for locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer. Definitive results of the 2000-01 FFCD/SFRO study. Ann. Oncol. 19, 1592–1599 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Petrelli, F., Coinu, A., Borgonovo, K., Cabiddu, M., Ghilardi, M., Lonati, V. et al. FOLFIRINOX-based neoadjuvant therapy in borderline resectable or unresectable pancreatic cancer: a meta-analytical review of published studies. Pancreas 44, 515–521 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Versteijne, E., Suker, M., Groothuis, K., Akkermans-Vogelaar, J. M., Besselink, M. G., Bonsing, B. A. et al. Preoperative chemoradiotherapy versus immediate surgery for resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer: results of the Dutch randomized phase III PREOPANC trial. J. Clin. Oncol. 38, 1763–1773 (2020).

  12. Conroy, T., Desseigne, F., Ychou, M., Bouché, O., Guimbaud, R., Bécouarn, Y. et al. FOLFIRINOX versus gemcitabine for metastatic pancreatic cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 364, 1817–1825 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Conroy, T., Hammel, P., Hebbar, M., Ben Abdelghani, M., Wei, A. C., Raoul, J.-L. et al. FOLFIRINOX or gemcitabine as adjuvant therapy for pancreatic cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 379, 2395–2406 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Marthey, L., Sa-Cunha, A., Blanc, J. F., Gauthier, M., Cueff, A., Francois, E. et al. FOLFIRINOX for locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma: results of an AGEO multicenter prospective observational cohort. Ann. Surg. Oncol. 22, 295–301 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Hosein, P. J., Macintyre, J., Kawamura, C., Maldonado, J. C., Ernani, V., Loaiza-Bonilla, A. et al. A retrospective study of neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX in unresectable or borderline-resectable locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. BMC Cancer 12, 199 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Katz, M. H. G., Shi, Q., Ahmad, S. A., Herman, J. M., Marsh, R., de, W., Collisson, E. et al. Preoperative modified FOLFIRINOX treatment followed by capecitabine-based chemoradiation for borderline resectable pancreatic cancer: alliance for clinical trials in oncology trial A021101. JAMA Surg. 151, e161137 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Murphy, J. E., Wo, J. Y., Ryan, D. P., Jiang, W., Yeap, B. Y., Drapek, L. C. et al. Total neoadjuvant therapy with FOLFIRINOX followed by individualized chemoradiotherapy for borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a phase 2 clinical trial. JAMA Oncol. 4, 963–969 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Maggino, L., Malleo, G., Marchegiani, G., Viviani, E., Nessi, C., Ciprani, D. et al. Outcomes of primary chemotherapy for borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. JAMA Surg. 154, 932–942 (2019).

  19. Conroy, T., Paillot, B., François, E., Bugat, R., Jacob, J.-H., Stein, U. et al. Irinotecan plus oxaliplatin and leucovorin-modulated fluorouracil in advanced pancreatic cancer-a Groupe Tumeurs Digestives of the Federation Nationale des Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer study. J. Clin. Oncol. 23, 1228–1236 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Faris, J. E., Blaszkowsky, L. S., McDermott, S., Guimaraes, A. R., Szymonifka, J., Huynh, M. A. et al. FOLFIRINOX in locally advanced pancreatic cancer: the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center experience. Oncologist 18, 543–548 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Gunturu, K. S., Yao, X., Cong, X., Thumar, J. R., Hochster, H. S., Stein, S. M. et al. FOLFIRINOX for locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer: single institution retrospective review of efficacy and toxicity. Med. Oncol. 30, 361 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Hammel, P., Huguet, F., van Laethem, J.-L., Goldstein, D., Glimelius, B., Artru, P. et al. Effect of chemoradiotherapy vs chemotherapy on survival in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer controlled after 4 months of gemcitabine with or without erlotinib: the LAP07 randomized clinical trial. JAMA 315, 1844–1853 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Trakul, N., Koong, A. C. & Chang, D. T. Stereotactic body radiotherapy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Semin. Radiat. Oncol. 24, 140–147 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Herman, J. M., Chang, D. T., Goodman, K. A., Dholakia, A. S., Raman, S. P., Hacker-Prietz, A. et al. Phase 2 multi-institutional trial evaluating gemcitabine and stereotactic body radiotherapy for patients with locally advanced unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Cancer 121, 1128–1137 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Chuong, M. D., Springett, G. M., Freilich, J. M., Park, C. K., Weber, J. M., Mellon, E. A. et al. Stereotactic body radiation therapy for locally advanced and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer is effective and well tolerated. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 86, 516–522 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Palta, M., Czito, B. G., Duffy, E., Malicki, M., Niedzwiecki, D., Abbruzzese, J. et al. A phase II trial of neoadjuvant gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel and SBRT for potentially resectable pancreas cancer: an evaluation of acute toxicity. J. Clin. Oncol. 36, 4121 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Quan, K., Sutera, P., Xu, K., Bernard, M. E., Burton, S. A., Wegner, R. E. et al. Results of a prospective phase 2 clinical trial of induction gemcitabine/capecitabine followed by stereotactic ablative radiation therapy in borderline resectable or locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Pract. Radiat. Oncol. 8, 95–106 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge David Marsh (language review).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

E.A.: study design, statistical analysis, manuscript writing and editing. L. Marthey: study design, data collection, manuscript writing, R.A., L. Mas, E. Francois, A.S., A.S.C., A.V., T.L., V.H., C.d.L.F., M.S., F.K., J.F., R.C., E. Fabiano, F.L., N.W.: data collection, manuscript writing, J.B.B., D.T.: study design, manuscript writing, J.T.: study design, data analysis, manuscript writing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julien Taieb.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

No informed consent was needed for this observational study, as stated by the French ethics committee consulted prior to the beginning of the work.

Data availability

Data are available from J.T. at reasonable request.

Competing interests

E.A.: Travel expenses: Mundipharma. Lectures and educational activities: Sanofi Genzymes, Lilly-Oncology. J.T.: Consulting or advisory role: Roche, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Amgen, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Servier, Sirtex Medical, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pierre Fabre. Speakers’ Bureau: Servier, Amgen, Roche/Genentech, Sanofi, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Eli Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pierre Fabre. The other authors have nothing to declare.

Funding information

This study was not funded.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Auclin, E., Marthey, L., Abdallah, R. et al. Role of FOLFIRINOX and chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced and borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma: update of the AGEO cohort. Br J Cancer 124, 1941–1948 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-021-01341-w

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-021-01341-w

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links