Adjuvant chemotherapy improves overall survival in resectable stage I-III duodenal adenocarcinoma patients.

This retrospective cohort study included 98 patients with resectable stage I-III duodenal adenocarcinoma treated at two Chinese institutions. The analysis compared outcomes between patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy and those who did not.

Patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy exhibited a longer median overall survival of 52.9 months compared to 25.1 months in the no chemotherapy group, with a p-value of 0.003. Median recurrence-free survival was also longer in the chemotherapy group at 38.2 months versus 9.9 months, although the p-value for this outcome was not reported.

Safety data, including adverse events, serious adverse events, discontinuations, and tolerability, were not reported in this study. The authors noted that the study design is observational, meaning causality cannot be definitively established. Limitations regarding funding or conflicts of interest were not reported.

While the results indicate a survival advantage for adjuvant chemotherapy in this population, the retrospective nature and lack of randomized control limit the certainty of these findings. Clinicians should interpret these results with caution until supported by higher-level evidence.