Benefits of current therapeutic options for pancreatic cancer are eclipsed by their toxicity and inconvenience

Decision Resources, Inc., one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and health care issues, finds that the benefits of current therapeutic options for pancreatic cancer are eclipsed by their toxicity and inconvenience, especially in advanced stages of the disease. A related constraining factor is a lack of early diagnosis, most patients are diagnosed at an advanced disease stage, so the benefits of treatment are outweighed by their toxicities and inconvenience.

The new Pharmacor study entitled Pancreatic Cancer also finds that the launch of therapeutic vaccines such as Aphton/Aventis Pasteur's Gastrimmune and Lorus's Virulizin will be the major market driver.

“Gastrimmune will be the first therapeutic vaccine to launch and will initially be used to treat unresectable, advanced pancreatic cancer patients not fit enough to receive gemcitabine,” said Mohamed Muhsin, M.Sc., analyst at Decision Resources. “This use of Gastrimmune will lead to a rise in the number of treated patients. Toward the end of the first half of our study period, Gastrimmune and Virulizin will be launched in combination with cytotoxic therapy; therefore, most patients, regardless of whether they receive gemcitabine, will be treated with a vaccine.”