Contemporary Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms

TL;DR

This study found that modern chemotherapy after surgery for a specific type of pancreatic cancer does not improve survival rates.

Contribution

The study provides new evidence that contemporary adjuvant chemotherapy regimens do not improve survival in A-IPMNs.

Findings

Adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with improved overall survival in A-IPMNs patients.

Contemporary regimens like GemCap and FOLFIRINOX showed no survival benefit over no chemotherapy.

A randomized clinical trial is recommended to further evaluate treatment effectiveness.

Abstract

This cohort study investigates the association of contemporary adjuvant chemotherapy regimens after resection in adenocarcinoma arising from intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (A-IPMNs) with overall survival.

What is the survival benefit associated with contemporary adjuvant chemotherapy regimens after resection in adenocarcinoma arising from intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (A-IPMNs)?

In this cohort study among 1321 patients with A-IPMNs, adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with improved overall survival, regardless of adjuvant chemotherapy type.

Contemporary adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with improved overall survival, and a randomized clinical trial is indicated.

Adjuvant chemotherapy regimens may be administered after pancreatic resection for adenocarcinoma arising from intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (A-IPMNs), although the evidence supporting their use is limited.

To evaluate the survival benefit associated with contemporary adjuvant chemotherapy regimens after resection in A-IPMNs between 2017 and 2023.

This retrospective cohort study was an international, multicenter study with 69 participating centers across Europe, North America, South America, and the Asia-Pacific region. Patients undergoing resection for A-IPMNs were included. Data were analyzed from May to August 2025.

Contemporary adjuvant chemotherapy regimens, such as gemcitabine-capecitabine (GemCap); 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan (FOLFIRINOX), modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX), and S-1.

Overall survival (months).

Among 1321 patients (median [IQR] age 70 [63 to 76] years; 713 males [54.0%] and 608 females [46.0%]), 781 patients (59.1%) received adjuvant chemotherapy, while in 181 patients (13.7%) it was omitted due to poor patient fitness. Of patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy, 568 patients (72.6%) received contemporary regimens, including GemCap (232 patients [29.7%]), FOLFIRINOX (176 patients [22.5%]), mFOLFIRINOX (71 patients [9.1%]), and S-1 (70 patients [9.0%]). The median (IQR) follow-up for the cohort was 64.2 (40.4 to 85.0) months, and the median overall survival was 73.8 months (95% CI, 66.4 to 81.9 months). After 90-day landmark analysis and exclusion of patients ineligible for chemotherapy, adjuvant chemotherapy vs no adjuvant chemotherapy (propensity score–matched populations, 243:243 patients) was not associated with improved overall survival (median, 82.3 months; 95% CI, 78.2 months to not applicable [NA] vs not reached; 95% CI, 75.3 months to NA; P = .58). Contemporary regimens vs no adjuvant chemotherapy (propensity score–matched populations, 309:309 patients) was not associated with longer survival, and a mean survival benefit greater than 4.2 months over 5 years was excluded (difference in restricted mean survival, 1.26 months; 95%, −1.72 to 4.24 months). Treatment outcomes did not vary by chemotherapy regimen or disease characteristic (eg, N stage or carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level).

In this study, contemporary adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with improved overall survival in A-IPMNs, and a randomized clinical trial is indicated.

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