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Chemotherapy uses medicines to kill fast-growing cells (like cancer cells) or to keep them from dividing (which is how cancers grow). It is a systemic treatment. This means the medicine will travel throughout your body and destroy cancer cells wherever they may be.
Your medical oncologist prescribes your chemotherapy and other medicine-based treatments. They also set your treatment schedule.
Pancreatic Cancer Care Tailored to You
You and your family are our top priority. At Fred Hutch Cancer Center, we offer comprehensive and compassionate care — personalized to you. You'll have access to the latest treatment options, clinical trials and supportive care services.
How Chemotherapy Can Treat Pancreatic Cancer
Your care team may recommend chemotherapy:
- Before surgery to shrink your tumor so it’s easier to remove
- After surgery to kill remaining cancer cells that couldn’t be seen
- Instead of surgery if your cancer is too widespread to remove
Typical chemotherapy is given in cycles. You’ll get a dose and then have a rest period before the next treatment. Often the cycle is two to three weeks. Chemotherapy schedules differ, based in part on which drugs you receive. Your care team will talk with you about how often you need chemotherapy and how many weeks or months.
Why Choose Fred Hutch for Chemotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer
At Fred Hutch Cancer Center, patients get chemotherapy care from leading physicians who specialize in gastrointestinal cancers. They are experts in their field and in giving medicines for pancreatic cancer. We often have clinical trials testing new drugs or new combinations of drugs. So, we offer therapies that aren’t available everywhere.
Your Fred Hutch medical oncologist designs a treatment plan for you to target your tumor and have the least impact on healthy tissue. They also work closely with you to manage any chemotherapy side effects. Your whole team helps you take the best possible care of yourself during treatment.
You will probably receive a combination of two or more chemotherapy drugs. Common chemotherapy drugs for pancreatic cancer include:
- Albumin-bound paclitaxel
- Capecitabine
- Cisplatin
- Fluorouracil
- Gemcitabine
- Irinotecan
- Leucovorin
- Oxaliplatin
The best combination may depend on if you have a specific gene mutation. Some types of drugs work better for cancers with mutations in the BRCA1/2 or PALB2 gene. Your Fred Hutch team may recommend testing your cells for these mutations. We’ll talk with you about the specific drug combinations we recommend for you, how you’ll receive them and your treatment schedule.
Common chemotherapy side effects include:
- Fatigue
- Mouth sores
- Skin reactions, like rashes on the hands and feet
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea or vomiting
- Hair loss
- Increased risk of infections
- Easy bruising or bleeding
If your Fred Hutch team recommends chemotherapy, we’ll explain what to expect based on the medicine you’re getting and how to manage these side effects.
Your care team at Fred Hutch is here to help you prevent or prepare for side effects and to relieve any side effects you have. The most important step you can take is to speak up and let your team know what you’re feeling. We’ve helped many patients and families through this process and know ways to ease your experience.
Often, there are medicines to help, like anti-nausea drugs. Based on the side effect, there may be a range of other helpful options too, like diet changes, physical therapy and emotional and practical support. We also offer integrative medicine, including acupuncture. The Fred Hutch Patient Education team has resources that go over how to keep common side effects at bay.