3 vs. 3.4 months; P=0.019) than those who progressed earlier. For those patients who progress early, this finding is further disappointing evidence of our very limited ability to selleck chemical control aggressive pancreatic cancer. It also lends support to the principle that local therapy is most beneficial for those patients who betray less aggressive disease, as seen in the multimodality treatment of localized-unresectable pancreatic cancer (12-14). Differences

in tumor markers such as Smad4 (Dpc4) are being investigated (8,15) to help select appropriate patients for more Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical intense local therapy. Finally, the authors appropriately excluded patients with poor performance status. SBRT has many Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical advantages in the setting of locally recurrent pancreatic cancer. Compared to fractionated radiation therapy, SBRT shortens the treatment time, and may come with improved image guidance capabilities and dose conformality. Fears of high rates of late adverse effects from hypofractionation are not borne out in this study and seem to be less than 10-15% in other experiences of SBRT for pancreatic cancer in the recurrent (16), and definitive/adjuvant (17-19) settings. However, higher rates of toxicity have been seen with Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical doses of 45 Gy in 3 fractions (20). Compared to surgery, SBRT offers the ability to resume chemotherapy faster, is less invasive, and avoids surgical morbidity. Finally, compared

to chemotherapy alone or best supportive care, SBRT may theoretically improve freedom from further local progression and may even be cost effective if it can decrease

the need for hospital admissions and interventional procedures to palliate pain and locally advancing disease. In conclusion, local control is probably important Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical for both symptom control and survival in pancreatic cancer but improving local control has been challenging. In the small retrospective series reported so far, re-irradiation with SBRT after Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical local progression shows promise and adheres to the principle of “first, do no harm.” For now, appropriate patients include those with a moderate time from definitive treatment Entinostat to local-only progression and good performance status. Certainly, further investigation of re-irradiation with SBRT is those warranted and the work of Wild and colleagues should inform future trials. We should move away from the nihilistic attitude that attempting to gain local control is not worthwhile and move towards a personalized approach to the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Acknowledgements Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains a notoriously lethal malignancy, currently ranking as the fourth leading cause of cancer related death in the US, despite a relatively low incidence (1). Until recently, gemcitabine and erlotinib were the only agents known to improve overall survival (OS) in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer to approximately 6 to 7 months (2).