Endoscopic Ultrasound Guided Radiofrequency Ablation and Standard Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Locally Advanced, Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer
This phase I trial studies the safety and side effects of endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation combined with standard chemotherapy in treating patients with pancreatic cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced) and cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable). During the EUS-RFA procedure, a thin flexible tube with a small camera and ultrasound probe is inserted into the digestive tract. A generator is used to deliver heating energy to the tumor directly through the probe. This is used to erode the cancerous tissue. Standard chemotherapy drugs work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Adding EUS-RFA therapy to standard chemotherapy may work better than receiving standard chemotherapy alone in treating locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer.