Adjuvant Gemcitabine Improves Long-Term Survival in Pancreatic Cancer

In the landmark CONKO-001 trial (NEJM JW Oncol Hematol Jan 16 2007), patients who underwent surgical resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma achieved a survival benefit with adjuvant gemcitabine versus observation at a median follow-up of 53 months. Now, the investigators have assessed longer-term outcomes in these patients.

The trial involved 368 German and Austrian patients who were randomized to observation or gemcitabine (1000 mg/m² weekly for 3 of every 4 weeks for 6 cycles). The majority of patients had T3 disease (82%–83%) and node-positive disease (71%–73%); a minority had margin-positive R1 resection (15%–19%).

As median follow-up of 136 months, overall survival (OS) was significantly improved with adjuvant gemcitabine versus observat…