# Exceptional Response to Multimodal Therapy in Stage IV Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report and Review

**Authors:** Carlos E Bonilla, Vaneza Ávila-Rodríguez, Mauricio F Acosta, Paola Jiménez-Vásquez, Silvia I Guerrero

PMC · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.87044 · Cureus · 2025-06-30

## TL;DR

A patient with advanced pancreatic cancer showed a remarkable 20-month survival after a combination of chemotherapy and targeted therapies.

## Contribution

Demonstrates exceptional outcomes using multimodal therapy in a KRAS G12D-mutated PDAC case exceeding oligometastatic criteria.

## Key findings

- A 74-year-old patient with 5 liver metastases achieved a partial response with modified FOLFIRINOX and FOLFIRI.
- Multimodal non-surgical treatment including MWA and SBRT led to complete radiologic resolution of all lesions.
- The patient achieved 20-month progression-free survival, which is rare for KRAS G12D-mutated PDAC.

## Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive malignancy with a dismal prognosis, frequently presenting with metastatic disease that drives its lethality. Conventional chemotherapy offers limited survival benefits, prompting exploration of novel treatment strategies, including metastasis-directed therapies (MDT) for oligometastatic PDAC, characterized by a limited number of metastatic lesions. We describe a 74-year-old woman with KRAS G12D-mutated PDAC and 5 liver metastases, exceeding typical oligometastatic criteria (≤3 lesions). Systemic therapy with modified fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (modified FOLFIRINOX), followed by maintenance fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI), led to a partial response that induced an oligometastatic state. She subsequently underwent a multimodal non-surgical treatment sequence involving percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) for hepatic metastases and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to the primary pancreatic tumor, achieving complete radiologic resolution of all lesions. This yielded an exceptional ongoing 20-month progression-free survival, remarkable for a KRAS G12D-mutated PDAC, a subtype known for its challenging clinical course. Our literature review suggests that MDT, including percutaneous ablation techniques and SBRT, may improve outcomes in oligometastatic PDAC by enhancing local control and potentially by eliciting systemic immune-mediated effects. This case highlights the transformative potential of integrating tailored MDT with chemotherapy to deliver outstanding outcomes in select patients with advanced PDAC, though further research is needed to refine patient selection and optimize therapeutic approaches.

## Linked entities

- **Genes:** KRAS (KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase) [NCBI Gene 3845]
- **Chemicals:** fluorouracil (PubChem CID 3385), leucovorin (PubChem CID 135403648), irinotecan (PubChem CID 60838), oxaliplatin (PubChem CID 9887053)
- **Diseases:** pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (MONDO:0005184)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** CD4 (CD4 molecule) [NCBI Gene 920] {aka CD4mut, IMD79, Leu-3, OKT4D, T4}, IL6 (interleukin 6) [NCBI Gene 3569] {aka BSF-2, BSF2, CDF, HGF, HSF, IFN-beta-2}, HLA-C (major histocompatibility complex, class I, C) [NCBI Gene 3107] {aka D6S204, HLA-JY3, HLAC, HLC-C, MHC, PSORS1}, IL10 (interleukin 10) [NCBI Gene 3586] {aka CSIF, GVHDS, IL-10, IL10A, TGIF}, FAS (Fas cell surface death receptor) [NCBI Gene 355] {aka ALPS1A, APO-1, APT1, CD95, FAS1, FASTM}, NKX2-1 (NK2 homeobox 1) [NCBI Gene 7080] {aka BCH, BHC, NK-2, NKX2.1, NKX2A, NMTC1}, SMAD4 (SMAD family member 4) [NCBI Gene 4089] {aka DPC4, JIP, MADH4, MYHRS}, CD8A (CD8 subunit alpha) [NCBI Gene 925] {aka CD8, CD8alpha, IMD116, Leu2, p32}, CTLA4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4) [NCBI Gene 1493] {aka ALPS5, CD, CD152, CELIAC3, CTLA-4, GRD4}, PDCD1 (programmed cell death 1) [NCBI Gene 5133] {aka ADMIO4, AIMTBS, CD279, PD-1, PD1, SLEB2}, ACTA1 (actin alpha 1, skeletal muscle) [NCBI Gene 58] {aka ACTA, ASMA, CFTD, CFTD1, CFTDM, CMYO2A}, TGFB1 (transforming growth factor beta 1) [NCBI Gene 7040] {aka CAEND1, CED, DPD1, IBDIMDE, LAP, TGF-beta1}, IL13 (interleukin 13) [NCBI Gene 3596] {aka IL-13, P600}, IL18 (interleukin 18) [NCBI Gene 3606] {aka IGIF, IL-18, IL-1g, IL1F4}, KRAS (KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase) [NCBI Gene 3845] {aka 'C-K-RAS, C-K-RAS, CFC2, K-RAS2A, K-RAS2B, K-RAS4A}, STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) [NCBI Gene 6774] {aka ADMIO, ADMIO1, APRF, HIES}, FASLG (Fas ligand) [NCBI Gene 356] {aka ALPS1B, APT1LG1, APTL, CD178, CD95-L, CD95L}, CD274 (CD274 molecule) [NCBI Gene 29126] {aka ADMIO5, B7-H, B7H1, PD-L1, PDCD1L1, PDCD1LG1}, IL2RA (interleukin 2 receptor subunit alpha) [NCBI Gene 3559] {aka CD25, IDDM10, IL2R, IMD41, TCGFR, p55}, ITPKB (inositol-trisphosphate 3-kinase B) [NCBI Gene 3707] {aka IP3-3KB, IP3K, IP3K-B, IP3KB, PIG37}
- **Diseases:** hypothyroidism (MESH:D007037), hepatic metastatic (MESH:D000092182), obstructive jaundice (MESH:D041781), loss of appetite (MESH:D001068), cytotoxicity (MESH:D064420), type 2 diabetes (MESH:D003924), fatigue (MESH:D005221), hypertension (MESH:D006973), pancreatic (MESH:D010195), cancer (MESH:D009369), liver (MESH:D017093), weight loss (MESH:D015431), Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (MESH:D010190), PDAC (MESH:D021441), pain (MESH:D010146), deaths (MESH:D003643), hepatic lesions (MESH:D056486), liver lesions (MESH:D008107), Liver metastases (MESH:D009362), disease (MESH:D004194)
- **Chemicals:** glucose (MESH:D005947), Primovist (MESH:C073590), (18F)FDG (MESH:D019788), FOLFIRI (-), FOLFIRINOX (MESH:C000627770), lipids (MESH:D008055), (18F (MESH:C000615276), gemcitabine (MESH:D000093542), capecitabine (MESH:D000069287)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]
- **Mutations:** G12D

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

20 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12310076/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12310076