OBJECTIVES: Optimal sequence of therapy for patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is unknown. Combination chemotherapy with fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX) and nab-paclitaxel + gemcitabine (nab-p/gem) are standard first-line (1L) therapies. They have never been prospectively compared. We retrospectively compared overall survival (OS) of patients treated with 1L nab-p/gem and second-line (2L) FOLFIRINOX with those treated with the reverse sequence. METHODS: Patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma treated with 1L FOLFIRINOX and 2L nab-p/gem or vice versa were identified using an electronic health record-derived real-world database. Using an intent-to-treat analysis, we compared OS from initiation of 1L therapy. A Cox model, stratified by deciles of propensity score, estimated the effect of treatment sequence on OS. RESULTS: The study included 3027 patients. The median OS for 1L FOLFIRINOX versus nab-p/gem was 8.6 versus 6.1 months (hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.84). The median OS for 1L FOLFIRINOX and 2L nab-p/gem versus 1L nab-p/gem and 2L FOLFIRINOX was 11.9 versus 11.5 months (hazard ratio, 0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.79-1.18). CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis of real-world data, 1L FOLFIRINOX was associated with increased OS in propensity analysis. For patients who received both FOLFIRINOX and nab-p/gem, median OS was similar regardless of sequence.
OBJECTIVES: Optimal sequence of therapy for patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is unknown. Combination chemotherapy with fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX) and nab-paclitaxel + gemcitabine (nab-p/gem) are standard first-line (1L) therapies. They have never been prospectively compared. We retrospectively compared overall survival (OS) of patients treated with 1L nab-p/gem and second-line (2L) FOLFIRINOX with those treated with the reverse sequence. METHODS: Patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma treated with 1L FOLFIRINOX and 2L nab-p/gem or vice versa were identified using an electronic health record-derived real-world database. Using an intent-to-treat analysis, we compared OS from initiation of 1L therapy. A Cox model, stratified by deciles of propensity score, estimated the effect of treatment sequence on OS. RESULTS: The study included 3027 patients. The median OS for 1L FOLFIRINOX versus nab-p/gem was 8.6 versus 6.1 months (hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.84). The median OS for 1L FOLFIRINOX and 2L nab-p/gem versus 1L nab-p/gem and 2L FOLFIRINOX was 11.9 versus 11.5 months (hazard ratio, 0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.79-1.18). CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis of real-world data, 1L FOLFIRINOX was associated with increased OS in propensity analysis. For patients who received both FOLFIRINOX and nab-p/gem, median OS was similar regardless of sequence.