What chemo is used for Ampullary cancer?

Adjuvant therapy A retrospective study at Mayo clinic reported likely benefit with concurrent radiotherapy and 5-fluorouracil 5-FU) chemotherapy following Pancreaticoduodenectomy. However, an improvement in overall survival (median 3.4 years vs 1.6 years) was only demonstrated among patients with positive lymph nodes.

How is Ampullary carcinoma treated?

The main treatment for ampullary cancer is surgery to remove the tumor. The Whipple procedure (also called a pancreaticoduodenectomy) is used. This is a major surgery where your surgeon removes the tumor in the affected part of the ampulla of Vater. Nearby tissues are often removed as well.

What kind of cancer is Ampullary cancer?

Ampullary cancer is a rare type of carcinoma that forms in an area of your body called the ampulla of Vater. The ampulla of Vater is a small opening located where your bile duct and pancreatic duct join. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

How serious is ampullary cancer?

Ampullary cancer is a life-threatening diagnosis, but people treated using the Whipple procedure have shown a 5-year survival rate ranging from about 20% to as high as 75%, based on how far the tumor has progressed.

Why is duodenum removed in Whipple?

The reason for the removal of the duodenum along with the head of the pancreas is that they share the same arterial blood supply (the superior pancreaticoduodenal artery and inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery).

Is chemo necessary after Whipple surgery?

You should be offered chemotherapy after surgery (such as the Whipple’s procedure) to try to reduce the chances of the cancer coming back. Gemcitabine with capecitabine (GemCap) is used most often after surgery.

What is the meaning of ampullary carcinoma?

Ampullary cancer, or ampullary carcinoma, is a cancer that forms in a body part called the ampulla of Vater. The ampulla of Vater is a small opening that enters into the first portion of the small intestine, known as the duodenum.

Is adjuvant chemotherapy effective for ampullary cancer?

There is much less data on the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy for ampullary cancer. In pancreas cancer there is clear benefit of adjuvant treatment with gemcitabine in terms of disease free survival and overall survival [ 8 ]. However, in ampullary cancer there have been no randomized trials.

What is adjuvant therapy for adenocarcinoma?

Adjuvant Therapy for Ampullary Cancer. For periampullary cancers, including adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, ampulla, bile duct, and duodenum, a curative-intent pancreaticoduodenectomy provides the only chance for long-term survival.

What are the possible adverse risk factors for ampullary carcinoma?

Lymph node involvement, poor histologic grade, and locally advanced tumors (T3/T4) are adverse risk factors for patients with ampullary carcinomas. The addition of adjuvant radiotherapy and 5-FU chemotherapy may improve OS in patients with LN involvement.

What is the prognosis of ampullary cancer of the ampulla of Vater?

Carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater has drawn considerable clinical attention, despite its rarity, because of its favorable prognosis compared with other pancreatic and biliary malignancies. Multiple series have shown a 5-year survival rate of 30% to 60% for patients receiving curative resection for ampullary cancer ( 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ).