Dr. Puri on Challenges With Treating Older Patients With Pancreatic Cancer

Akshjot Puri, MD, fellow, Houston Methodist Hospital, discusses challenges facing older patients with pancreatic cancer.

Most elderly patients with pancreatic cancer will have poor performance status due to age, comorbidities, renal failure, dementia, and cardiovascular disease, among others, explains Puri. The standard practice is to give these patients FOLFIRINOX as long as they have good performance status, says Puri.

Patients often experience infections and increased hematological adverse events (AEs), as well as non-hematological AEs, when given FOLFIRINOX as opposed to gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) or gemcitabine alone, according to Puri. The treatment decision must account for the individual factors of each patient. If the patient is believed to be able to tolerate FOLFIRINOX, then that is the treatment of choice, Puri concludes.