After pancreatic cancer surgery, additional chemotherapy may be beneficial to prevent recurrence. Much research is being done to determine which chemotherapy drugs are safe and effective in preventing recurrence after surgery. The gemcitabine albumin-bound paclitaxel (gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel) combination, which is commonly used in metastatic pancreatic cancer, was recently studied to determine its effectiveness as an adjuvant therapy after surgery.

Researchers compared the time to recurrence after surgery in 432 patients who received the gemcitabine albumin-bound paclitaxel combination versus 434 patients who received gemcitabine monotherapy. The results showed that patients who received the combination had a disease-free survival (DFS) of 19.4 months versus 18.8 months for patients who received monotherapy. The difference was not statistically significant, although patients who received the combination had a slightly higher DFS.

The difference was seen in overall survival: when these patients were followed for five years, those who received the combination lived an average of 41.8 months, compared to 37.7 months for those who received monotherapy. This is a statistically significant difference, and represents an approximately 20% reduction in the risk of death with the combination compared to monotherapy. Limitations include a somewhat high proportion of patients experiencing moderate or severe side effects, and only 287 (66.4%) of the 432 patients assigned to the combination therapy completed the planned treatment.