Guidance on the use of gemcitabine for the treatment of pancreatic cancer

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This is an extract from the guidance and may be misleading if read alone. The complete guidance is available at guidance.nice.org.uk/ta25

1 Guidance

1.1 Gemcitabine may be considered as a treatment option for patients with advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas and a Karnofsky performance score of 50 or more, where first line chemotherapy is to be used.

1.2 Gemcitabine is not recommended for patients who are suitable for potentially curative surgery, or patients with a Karnofsky (see Appendix D) score of less than 50.

1.3 There is insufficient evidence to support the use of gemcitabine as a second line treatment in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.