PROACTIVE: Surgical Resection Outcomes in Locally Advanced and Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

This clinical trial tests how well surgical resection after chemotherapy given before surgery to make the tumor smaller (neoadjuvant) works to treat pancreatic cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced) and that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable). In general, surgery is considered the most effective treatment for pancreatic cancer, especially when the cancer is localized and has not spread to other organs. However, most patients with pancreatic cancer are not candidates for surgical removal because the cancer has grown into or close to nearby arteries, veins, or organs and there is a concern of damaging these nearby structures. Researchers want to find out if surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy can be done safely to completely remove the tumor in patients with locally advanced and unresectable pancreatic cancer.