Clinical Impact of the Administration of FOLFIRINOX Beyond Six Months in Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A Cohort Study

Background Although a toxic regimen, FOLFIRINOX is one of the most efficient chemotherapy regimens in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. There is no standard number of cycles in locally advanced or metastatic stages. Materials and method The present retrospective study reports the experience of a single center with this regimen administered until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The authors of this retrospective study analyzed the data on patients with this diagnosis treated in our clinic during 2017-2021. Forty-two patients were included in the study, 21 who received six courses or less and 21 who received more than six courses. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed according to this stratification. The oncological response was also reported according to dose reduction and treatment delay, irrespective of the number of courses administered. Results Median PFS was 7.5 months, and median OS was 13.6 months in the entire studied population. When patients were compared according to the number of courses received (under six vs. over six), there were obvious differences (PFS: 5.17 months vs. 11.2, p = 0.8, OS: 8 months vs. 17.3 months, p = 0.6). However, when stratifying survival by treatment delay and the presence or absence of dose reduction, better results were seen with lower doses (p<0.001) and treatment temporization (p=0.03). The general incidence of hematologic and neurologic toxicity was higher than the ones reported in the literature. Conclusion The study revealed that patients benefit from the administration of FOLFIRINOX for more than six months, but that the administration of full dose and the maintaining dose intensity does not necessarily favor the patient.