Adjuvant nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine vs gemcitabine alone for resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A single center experience in China

BACKGROUND Nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine (AG) has resulted in higher tumor response and survival rates for metastatic or advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) compared with gemcitabine (GEM) alone. AIM To examine the feasibility and safety of AG adjuvant chemotherapy of resectable PDAC. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed patients with resected PDAC who received AG or GEM as postoperative adjuvant treatment between January 2013 and December 2016 at the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China. The patients adopted combined nab-paclitaxel (125 mg/m2) and GEM (1 g/m2) or GEM (1 g/m2) alone treatment, on days 1 and 8 every 3 wk for six cycles, unless intolerable adverse events or disease progression occurred. The disease-free survival, overall survival (OS) and adverse events of the two groups were statistically analyzed. RESULTS Compared with GEM, median disease-free survival (12.2 mo vs 15.8 mo, P = 0.039) and OS (20.6 mo vs 28.3 mo, P = 0.028) were significantly improved in the AG group. The 2-year OS rates were 63.3% and 43.3% in the AG and GEM groups, respectively. However, the incidence of sensory neuropathy was increased significantly in the AG than the GEM group (53.3% vs 23.3%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION In our initial experience, AG significantly improved disease-free survival and OS of patients with resected PDAC. AG may be a potential option for postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy of resectable PDAC.