Email a Friend
Print ArticlePancreatic Cancer Health Center
Treatment Options by Stage
A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.
Stages I and II Pancreatic Cancer
Treatment of stage I and stage II pancreatic cancer may include the following:
- Surgery alone.
- Surgery with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of surgery followed by radiation therapy with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is given before, during, and after the radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of surgery followed by chemotherapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage I pancreatic cancer and stage II pancreatic cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Stage III Pancreatic Cancer
Treatment of stage III pancreatic cancer may include the following:
- Palliative surgery or stent placement to bypass blocked areas in ducts or the small intestine.
- Chemotherapy with gemcitabine.
- A clinical trial of new anticancer therapies together with chemotherapy or chemoradiation.
- A clinical trial of radiation therapy given during surgery or internal radiation therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage III pancreatic cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer
Treatment of stage IV pancreatic cancer may include the following:
- Chemotherapy with gemcitabine with or without erlotinib.
- Palliative treatments for pain, such as nerve blocks, and other supportive care.
- Palliative surgery or stent placement to bypass blocked areas in ducts or the small intestine.
- Clinical trials of new anticancer agents with or without chemotherapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage IV pancreatic cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
WebMD Public Information from the National Cancer Institute
This information is produced and provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The information in this topic may have changed since it was written. For the most current information, contact the National Cancer Institute via the Internet web site at http://cancer.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER
Resting to conserve energy may not be the best remedy for fatigue during radiation therapy.
