Pancreatic cancer is the uncontrolled growth of malignant cells formed in the tissues of the pancreas. The cancer may develop in the head, body or tail of the pancreas.

The pancreas is a gland found behind the stomach and extends across the abdomen. It is really two separate glands inside the same organ. The exocrine gland makes pancreatic juice that has enzymes to break down fats and proteins in foods so the body can use them. Most of the cells in the pancreas are part of the exocrine system. A smaller number of cells in the pancreas are endocrine cells. These cells are arranged in clusters called islets, which make hormones, such as insulin, that help balance the amount of sugar in the blood.

Prevalence¹

• The American Cancer Society predicts that in 2007 about 37,170 people in the United States will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and about 33,370 will die of the disease.¹

Types²

• The most prevalent pancreatic cancer type is exocrine cancer. Most pancreatic tumors originate in the exocrine duct cells or in the cells that produce digestive enzymes (acinar cells). Ninety-five percent of pancreatic cancers are called "adenocarcinomas."
• Endocrine and ampullary cancers are the two other types of pancreatic cancer that are less common. Tumors that begin in the islet cells are referred to as endocrine tumors. Ampullary tumors develop in the ampulla of Vater — the place where the bile and pancreatic ducts empty into the small intestine. These tumors often block the bile duct, leading to jaundice.

Treatment²,³

• There are four main types of treatment for cancer of the pancreas: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. Depending on the stage of the cancer, two or even three of these types of treatment could be given — either at the same time or one after the other.³
• In November 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Tarceva® (erlotinib) in combination with gemcitabine for the treatment of locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer in patients who have not received previous chemotherapy.
• Chemotherapy, chemotherapy in combination with radiation, or gemcitabine in combination with Tarceva are treatment options for tumors that have spread to nearby tissues or distant organs.²
• For advanced pancreatic cancer patients, other treatments may include pancreatic enzyme tablets and insulin therapy.²

Survival Rates⁴,⁵,⁶,⁷

• Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat as it is often resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and tends to spread quickly to other parts of the body,^6,7 leading to high mortality and short life expectancy.⁴
• Despite significant advances in the treatment of many other human tumors, the five-year survival rate for persons diagnosed with pancreatic cancer has not changed in decades and remains at less than five percent worldwide.⁴,⁵
• For those patients with small, localized cancers (less than two centimeters in diameter) that have not spread, five-year survival rates are approximately 30 percent.⁴ The median survival for advanced pancreatic cancer is nearly six months.⁵

1	American Cancer Society Website http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/CAFF2006PWSecured.pdf "Cancer Facts & Figures 2006."
2	Mayo Clinic Web site: www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00357
3	American Cancer Society Website: www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI "How is Cancer of the Pancreas Treated?"
4	Steward, B W and Kleihues, P. 2003. World Cancer Report. World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC Press/Lyon, p248-249
5	Khosravi Shahi P et al. 2005, Aug. Pancreatic cancer: therapeutic update. Anales de Medicina Interna, 22 (8):390-4
6	Real FX. 2003, June. A "catastrophic hypothesis" for pancreas cancer progression. Gastroenterology, 124 (7):1958-64.
7	Bardeesy N, DePinho RA. 2002, Dec. Pancreatic Cancer Biology and Genetics. Nature Reviews Cancer, 2, 897-909

Tarceva is a trademark of OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Melville, NY 11747, USA.

Please see full prescribing information for Tarceva or visit www.tarceva.com.