Effect of clinical status on survival in patients with borderline or locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of clinical status (weight variation and performance status [PS]) at diagnosis and during induction treatment on resectability and overall survival (OS) rates in patients with borderline resectable (BRPC) or locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). METHODS: From 2005 to 2017, 454 consecutive patients were diagnosed with LAPC or BRPC. We evaluated the PS (0–1 or 2–3), body mass index at diagnosis, and weight loss (WL) > 5% at initial staging and after induction treatment and separated continuous weight loss (CWL) from weight stabilization. RESULTS: A total of 294 patients (64.8%) presented with WL, and 57 patients (12.6%) presented with a PS of 2–3. At restaging, 60 patients (13.2%) presented with CWL. Independent factors that poorly influenced the OS were a PS of 2–3 at diagnosis (P < .01), CWL at restaging (P < .01), and absence of resection (P < .01). Factors independently impeding resection were LAPC (P < .01), PS > 1 at diagnosis (P < .01), and CWL (P = .01). In total, 142 patients (31.3%) underwent pancreatectomy. Independent factors that poorly influenced the OS in the resected group were PS > 0 at diagnosis (P = .01) and obesity (P < .01). For the 312 unresected cancer patients (68.7%), CWL (P < .01) was identified as an independent factor that poorly influenced the OS. CONCLUSION: Clinical parameters that are easy to measure and monitor are independent factors of poor prognosis. The variation of weight during the induction treatment, more than WL at diagnosis, significantly precluded resection and was an independent factor of shorter OS in unresected patients.