Intra-Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Advanced pancreatic cancer (PC) has a very poor prognosis due to its chemoresistant nature. Nowadays, only a few therapeutic options are available for PC, and the most effective ones are characterized by low response rates (RRs), short progression-free survival and overall survival, and severe toxicity. To improve clinical results, small series studies have evaluated loco-regional chemotherapy as a treatment option for PC, demonstrating its dose-dependent sensitivity towards the tumor. In fact, pancreatic arterial infusion (PAI) chemotherapy allows higher local concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents, sparing healthy tissues with a lower rate of adverse events compared to systemic chemotherapy. This therapeutic approach has already been evaluated in different types of tumors, especially in primary and metastatic liver cancers, with favourable results. With regard to advanced PC, a few clinical studies have investigated the safety and efficacy of PAI with promising results, especially in terms of RRs compared to systemic chemotherapy. However, clear evidence about its efficacy has not been established yet nor have the underlying mechanisms leading to its success. In this review, we aim to summarize the literature data on the clinical approaches to pancreatic arterial drug administration in terms of techniques, drug pharmacokinetics, and clinical outcomes for advanced PC.