Response of adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas to interferon-alpha, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and 5-fluorouracil combined treatment.

A 48-year-old woman with a nonresectable pancreatic tumor received combination chemotherapy with cytokines (IFN-a plus TNF-a) and 5-FU. Since partial response was confirmed after seven months, she underwent re-exploration, and received a pancreatico-duodenectomy. Histologically, the tumor was an adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas. She recovered uneventfully. However, the tumor rapidly recurred, and she died five months after surgery. Despite the poor result, the survival of the patient with advanced pancreatic cancer for twelve months after the staring of the treatment suggests that combined chemotherapy with cytokines and 5-FU may be a therapeutic modality for advanced pancreatic cancer.