New research indicates lower treatment dosages improve tolerability without compromising survival in pancreatic cancer
Dr. Ravi Rao commented on a single-center study of elderly patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, which found that a reduction in chemotherapy dosage did not reduce the survival rate. This study, published in Clinical Oncology News, indicated that lowering the treatment dosage resulted in better tolerability than a standard dosing.
“Patients worry that if we cut back on their chemotherapy dose, their risk of failure will increase and they will be hurt by the dose reductions,” said Dr. Rao. “I always tell them it’s better to cut down the dose a bit and be able to receive whatever amount they can actually tolerate. If they have a treatment they can’t tolerate and end up in the hospital, then we are not doing them a favor.”