Experience with fast neutron therapy for unresectable carcinoma of the pancreas

The records of 70 patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas treated with radiotherapy were reviewed. Fifteen were treated with 50-MeV d→Be neutrons or a combination of 50-MeV d→Be neutrons and 25–32 MeV photons (neutron group), 30 with external beam photons alone (photon group) and 25 with radioactive gold-grain implantation ( 198Au-implant group). The 12-month survival rate was 40 % ( 6 15 ) for the neutron group; three patients in this group were living at the time of analysis, 16, 19, and 42 months from the date of diagnosis. By comparison, the 12-month survival rate was 2396 (7/30) for the photon group mad 32% ( 8 25 ) for the 198Au-implant group. The actuarial survival curve for the neutron group was significantly better than the survival curve for the pboton group (Wilcoxon test 7: p = .03). Altbough the difference between the survival curves for the neutron and 198Au-implant groups is not statistically significant, the neutron patients presented more advanced disease than those treated with radioactive gold-grain implants. No radiotherapy complications were observed in the neutron group, whereas 396 ( 1 30 ) of patients in the photon group and 2496 ( 6 25 ) of patients in the 198Au-implant group developed major complications.