Current and Emerging Treatment Options for Pancreatic Cancer: A Comprehensive Review

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and its global burden has increased significantly over the past few years. The incidence of pancreatic cancer has also increased in the United States, and most of this increase is attributed to the population’s aging process in addition to the rise in the prevalence of risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, smoking, and alcohol intake. Most patients with pancreatic cancer present with advanced unresectable or metastatic disease. Only a few patients present at an early stage with localized disease, and a multidisciplinary approach is required to maximize survival and outcomes. The surgical approach is an option for localized disease, and surgery’s safety and efficacy have also been improved in recent years due to the increasing use of minimally invasive surgical techniques. Moreover, systematic chemotherapy has also been used and has had a significant impact on survival. More recently, neoadjuvant therapy has been used for pancreatic cancer along with radiation therapy, optimizing survival among those patients. Targeted therapies have been introduced based on genetic testing in metastatic pancreatic cancer and have shown promising results. Moreover, immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted agents such as PARP inhibitors and vaccines have emerged with optimal results in terms of survival. To conclude, pancreatic cancer is considered a disease with poor long-term survival; however, recent developments in pharmacotherapy have changed its treatment and have improved outcomes with improved survival. Our review summarizes ongoing therapeutic options for local and metastatic pancreatic cancer. It also summarizes new state-of-the-art therapies that have emerged or are in trials, which can change the pancreatic cancer treatment perspective.