The ABC of staging localised pancreatic cancer – the TAPS consortium report is finally out and it’s a winner!
Accurate clinical staging of localised pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (and indeed any cancer ) is absolutely crucial to receiving the right and appropriate treatment. For some time now, pancreatic oncologists have been using the A (anatomy of the disease), sometimes combining with the B ( biological detail, which is typically the CA 19-9 status) and adding in the C (condition or performance status of the patient). This all seems pretty common sense when you look at it but as with most things, the prognostic value of the combined ABC factors has hitherto never been qualitatively validated. Well, wait no more. The TAPS consortium released its findings in the February 2024 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology on nearly 2000 patients from 5 high-volume pancreatic cancer centers in the US and The Netherlands treated with the mFOLFIRINOX regimen to investigate the impact of ABC on OS (overall survival). Unsurprisingly, this is a winner. All 3 factors were clear independent prognostication tools but taken together they make a much improved staging system. Take home message? Staging of patients with localized PDAC at diagnosis should be based on anatomy, CA 19-9, and performance status.
READ THE ARTICLE – https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.23.01311