Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells, shrinking the tumor. Chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer may be injected, infused through an IV, or taken orally. Most chemotherapy drugs for pancreatic cancers are given by injection, and may include:
- 5-FU (5-fluorouracil)
This treatment type uses drugs or other substances that block the growth or spread of the cancer by interfering with specific molecules that signal cancer cells to grow, stimulating the immune system to kill the cancer cells, or by delivering toxic drugs directly to the cancer cells. One example, erlotinib, inhibits the action of a protein called kinase, which tells cancer cells to grow.
Patients may have access to other targeted drugs through a clinical trial.