Stereotactic body radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer

The role of radiation therapy in the management of pancreatic cancer represents an area of some controversy. However, local disease progression remains a significant cause of morbidity and even mortality for patients with this disease. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is an emerging treatment option for pancreatic cancer, primarily for locally advanced (unresectable) disease as it can provide a therapeutic benefit with significant advantages for patients' quality of life over standard conventional chemoradiation. There may also be a role for SBRT as neoadjuvant therapy for patients with borderline resectable disease to allow conversion to resectability. The objective of this review is to present the data supporting SBRT in pancreatic cancer as well as the potential limitations and caveats of current studies.