Chemotherapy, Interferon Alfa, and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients Who Have Undergone Surgery For Pancreatic Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• •1. Biopsy proven completely resected (R0 or R1) pancreatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head or uncinate process \[American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Stage I-III\]. Surgery (pancreaticoduodenectomy) may be performed at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center or prior to referral to M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Protocol treatment must begin within 12 weeks of surgery.
• •2. Postoperative (pre-treatment) computed tomography (CT) scan without evidence of radiographically defineable residual primary/metastatic disease or clinically significant post-surgical changes.
• •3. Staging studies completed within three weeks +/- 3 days of protocol registration.
• •4. Hemoglobin (Hb) \>9.0 g/%, White Blood Count (WBC) \>3,000 cells/mm3 (Absolute neutrophil count (ANC)\>1,500 cells/mm3), platelets \>75,000 cells/mm3.
• •5. Postoperative serum calcium (CA) 19-9 \< 100.
• •6. Performance status: Zubrod 0 or 1.
• •7. Creatinine £1.5 mg/dL and calculated or measured creatinine clearance (CrCl) of 60 ml/min or greater by the following formula: Creatinine clearance rate (CrCl) = (140 - age) \* Weight (kg) \* 0.85 (female) OR \* 1.00 (male) 72 \* serum creatinine
• •8. Patients should have bilateral renal function, as determined on excretory urogram (IVP) or abdominal CT, or ³ 2/3 of one functioning kidney must be able to be shielded from the radiation beam.
• •9. No acute infections at the time of therapy initiation.
• •10. Women of childbearing potential must agree to practice adequate contraception and to refrain from breast feeding, as specified in the informed consent.
• •11. Patients must sign a study-specific consent form, which is attached to this protocol.
• •12. Patients with a prior history of non-pancreatic malignancy who are free of disease from their primary cancer may be eligible at the discretion of the study chair.