%0 Journal Article
%T Evaluation of DNA ploidy in relation with established prognostic factors in patients with locally advanced (unresectable) or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a retrospective analysis
%A Nikolas Tsavaris
%A Nicolaos Kavantzas
%A Kostantinos Tsigritis
%A Ioannis D Xynos
%A Nikitas Papadoniou
%A Andreas Lazaris
%A Christos Kosmas
%A George Agrogiannis
%A Anna Dokou
%A Evangelos Felekouras
%A Efstathios Antoniou
%A Aris Polyzos
%A John Sarantonis
%A Heracles Tsipras
%A Gavrilos Karatzas
%A Alexandros Papalambros
%A Efstratios S Patsouris
%J BMC Cancer
%D 2009
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2407-9-264
%X Two hundred and twenty six patients were studied retrospectively. Twenty two potential prognostic variables (demographics, clinical parameters, biochemical markers, treatment modality) were examined.Mean survival time was 38.41 weeks (95% c.i.: 33.17¨C43.65), median survival 27.00 weeks (95% c.i.: 23.18¨C30.82). On multivariate analysis, 10 factors had an independent effect on survival: performance status, local extension of tumor, distant metastases, ploidy score, anemia under epoetin therapy, weight loss, pain, steatorrhoea, CEA, and palliative surgery and chemotherapy. Patients managed with palliative surgery and chemotherapy had 6.7 times lower probability of death in comparison with patients without any treatment. Patients with ploidy score > 3.6 had 5.0 times higher probability of death in comparison with patients with ploidy score < 2.2 and these with ploidy score 2.2¨C3.6 had 6.3 times higher probability of death in comparison with patients with ploidy score < 2.2.According to the significance of the examined factor, survival was improved mainly by the combination of surgery and chemotherapy, and the presence of low DNA ploidy score.Carcinoma of the pancreas is a very aggressive tumor, posing the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States [1,2]. Most patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma present with locally advanced or metastatic disease on diagnosis, despite the availability of advanced imaging techniques. Only 10¨C20% of cases are candidates for curative surgery [3-5] and in these cases, the reported 5-year survival rate ranges between 11% and 25% [6-8] as persistence or recurrence of regional disease is reported in approximately 80% of patients following curative resection [9]. Subsequently, surgery for pancreatic cancer plays frequently a palliative role, to cure jaundice, obstruction or pain [10]. Surgical palliation on the other hand appears to be associated with a higher rate of early complications and possibly a higher ra
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/9/264