Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal disease, often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Systemic chemotherapy is the primary treatment, but direct comparisons of different regimens are limited. This study conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare the efficacy and safety of various chemotherapy regimens, with the unique advantage of only including Phase III randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: NMA was conducted regarding the searched phase III RCTs by comparing overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and adverse events (AEs) of different chemotherapy protocols. RESULTS: The analysis included 24 studies with 11470 patients across 25 treatment modalities. Among the chemotherapy regimens evaluated, FOLFIRINOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin) demonstrated the highest OS and PFS, with a risk ratio (logHR) of 4.5 (95 % confidence interval 4.32-4.68) compared to gemcitabine monotherapy. The PEFG regimen (cisplatin, epirubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and gemcitabine) exhibited the highest ORR, with an odds ratio (OR) of 6.67 (2.08-20) compared to gemcitabine monotherapy. Notably, gemcitabine plus sorafenib was associated with the lowest hematological toxicity, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.1 (0.02-0.48). CONCLUSION: Combination therapies may offer greater benefits but also cause more toxic effects. However, combinations with targeted agents seem to have fewer adverse reactions.