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Open AccessReview
Complete Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Treatment in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma—Can We Achieve a Long-Term Survival? A Narrative Review
1
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
2
Department of Pathomorphology and Molecular Diagnostics, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
3
Department of Radiodiagnostics and Interventional Radiology, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Life 2025, 15(12), 1833; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15121833 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 29 October 2025
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Revised: 21 November 2025
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Accepted: 26 November 2025
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Published: 28 November 2025
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality in Europe, with a 5-year survival rate of approximately 10%. Surgical intervention is the only curative method of treatment in PDAC. However, especially in the case of patients with borderline or locally advanced cancer, neoadjuvant treatment is often administered in an attempt to downstage the tumor. Uncommonly, after neoadjuvant treatment, no viable tumor in the specimen after surgical resection is found- this is defined as a complete pathological response (pCR). Our paper presents a narrative review of this rare phenomenon and its possible association with patient’s survival. Conclusions: Achieving pCR may be associated with a significant improvement in the prognosis of patients with PDAC. However, it remains unknown why pCR is achievable in only a few patients. Further studies on large groups of patients are needed to identify the factors that increase the chance of pCR.
Share and Cite
MDPI and ACS Style
Gajda, M.; Grudzińska, E.; Liszka, Ł.; Pilch-Kowalczyk, J.; Mrowiec, S.
Complete Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Treatment in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma—Can We Achieve a Long-Term Survival? A Narrative Review. Life 2025, 15, 1833.
https://doi.org/10.3390/life15121833
AMA Style
Gajda M, Grudzińska E, Liszka Ł, Pilch-Kowalczyk J, Mrowiec S.
Complete Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Treatment in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma—Can We Achieve a Long-Term Survival? A Narrative Review. Life. 2025; 15(12):1833.
https://doi.org/10.3390/life15121833
Chicago/Turabian Style
Gajda, Magdalena, Ewa Grudzińska, Łukasz Liszka, Joanna Pilch-Kowalczyk, and Sławomir Mrowiec.
2025. "Complete Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Treatment in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma—Can We Achieve a Long-Term Survival? A Narrative Review" Life 15, no. 12: 1833.
https://doi.org/10.3390/life15121833
APA Style
Gajda, M., Grudzińska, E., Liszka, Ł., Pilch-Kowalczyk, J., & Mrowiec, S.
(2025). Complete Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Treatment in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma—Can We Achieve a Long-Term Survival? A Narrative Review. Life, 15(12), 1833.
https://doi.org/10.3390/life15121833
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