ASO Author Reflections: Do Distinct Patterns of Recurrence Impact the Prognosis of Patients With Resected Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma?

Excerpt

For patients with localized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a combination of resection and systemic therapy offers the best chance for long-term survival. However, even after completion of multimodality therapy, disease recurrence is common and is the foremost cause of disease-specific mortality. Recent evidence suggests that not all PDAC recurrences exhibit the same biological behavior. For instance, a recent study from our institution showed that post-recurrence survival differs based on the timing of recurrence.1 Furthermore, a different study found that the time to recurrence varies for distinct recurrence locations.2 However, the relationship of these specific PDAC recurrence patterns with survival after recurrence and overall survival from surgery remains poorly described. Knowledge on the prognostic impact of distinct recurrence sites could aid clinicians with prognostic stratification, and might potentially provide a basis for a more individualized approach to the treatment of PDAC recurrence. Therefore, the aim of our study was twofold: (1) to characterize the association of specific patterns of disease recurrence with survival after recurrence; and (2) to investigate the predictive value of specific recurrence locations on overall survival while adjusting for known prognostic clinicopathologic variables. …