Stereotactic body radiotherapy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Abstract

Most patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are unable to have a curative surgical resection. Chemoradiation is a standard of care treatment for patients with locally advanced unresectable disease, but local failure rates are high with conventionally fractionated radiotherapy. However, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) or stereotactic ablative radiotherapy offers an alternative type of radiation therapy, which allows for the delivery of high-dose, conformal radiation. The high doses and shorter overall treatment time with SBRT may provide advantages in local control, disease outcomes, quality of life, and cost-effectiveness, and further investigation is currently underway. Here, we review the technology behind SBRT for pancreatic malignancy and its future direction in the overall management of pancreatic cancer.