Chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer

• Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. It is one of the main treatments for pancreatic cancer.
• Chemotherapy is used in different ways, depending on your cancer diagnosis and how well you are.
• There are different chemotherapy drugs used for pancreatic cancer. You may have one drug, such as gemcitabine. Or you may have several drugs together, including FOLFIRINOX, gemcitabine and capecitabine, and gemcitabine with nab-paclitaxel.
• Sometimes chemotherapy is used with radiotherapy. This is called chemoradiotherapy.
• Chemotherapy can make you more at risk of getting an infection. An infection is an emergency if you are having chemotherapy and needs treating straight away.
• Chemotherapy can also cause other side effects. These can include fatigue (extreme tiredness), feeling and being sick, runny poo (diarrhoea), hair loss, and tingling or numbness in your fingers or toes.
• There are ways to manage side effects. Tell your doctor or nurse if you have any side effects so that they can help.
• Clinical trials are research studies involving people. They help doctors find new treatments or better ways of providing treatment. Some clinical trials are looking at chemotherapy and pancreatic cancer.
• You will have regular check-ups and blood tests during chemotherapy to check you are well enough for each treatment.
• After your chemotherapy has finished, you will have a CT scan every few months to check for any changes.

If you are having chemotherapy, or have had chemotherapy in the last three months, you may be more at risk of becoming seriously ill if you get COVID-19. This is because chemotherapy increases your risk of infections. You should have the coronavirus vaccine, and you may be able to have treatment if you get coronavirus.