Risk of Pancreatic Cancer in Families with Lynch Syndrome Defined (11/3/2009)
Researchers from several U.S. medical centers have reported that patients with Lynch syndrome have an 8.6-fold increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer compared with the general population. The details of this study appeared in the October 28, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Addition of Xeloda® to Gemzar® Improves Outcomes in Pancreatic Cancer (11/2/2009)
Researchers affiliated with the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK) and the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG) have reported that the addition of Xeloda® (capecitabine) to Gemzar® (gemcitabine) improves outcomes of patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. The details of this study appeared early online October 26, 2009 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Sutent® Improves Progression-free Survival in Patients with Well Differentiated Pancreatic Islet Cell Tumors (9/29/2009)
Researchers involved in an international randomized trial have reported that Sutent® (sunitinib) prolongs progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with progressive well differentiated pancreatic islet cell tumors with an acceptable toxicity profile. The details of this study were presented at the Joint ECCO 15 – 34^th ESMO Multidisciplinary Congress in Berlin, September 20-24, 2009.

Adjuvant Gemzar® Prolongs Disease-free Survival in Resected Pancreatic Cancer (9/17/2009)
Researchers from Japan have reported that patients with resected pancreatic cancer who receive Gemzar® (gemcitabine) have an increased disease-free survival compared with patients randomized to a control group. The details of this study appeared in the September 2009 issue of the British Journal of Cancer.

Chemotherapy Better than Alternative Medicine Approach for Inoperable Pancreatic Cancer (9/15/2009)
Researchers from Columbia University have reported that patients receiving Gemzar® (gemcitabine)-based chemotherapy for inoperable pancreatic cancer have a longer survival and better quality of life than those receiving an alternative medicine approach consisting of enzyme therapy, nutritional supplements, detoxification, and an organic diet. These results were published early online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on August 17, 2009.