Current Clinical Trials

Note: Some citations in the text of this section are followed by a level of evidence. The PDQ editorial boards use a formal ranking system to help the reader judge the strength of evidence linked to the reported results of a therapeutic strategy. (Refer to the PDQ summary on Levels of Evidence for more information.)

The low objective response rate and lack of survival benefit with current chemotherapy indicates clinical trials as appropriate treatment of all newly diagnosed patients. Occasional patients have palliation of symptoms when treated by chemotherapy with well-tested older drugs such as fluorouracil (5-FU). Gemcitabine has demonstrated activity in patients with pancreatic cancer and is a useful palliative agent.[1-3] A phase III trial of gemcitabine versus 5-FU as first-line therapy in patients with advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas reported a significant improvement in survival among patients treated with gemcitabine (1-year survival was 18% with gemcitabine as compared with 2% with 5-FU, P = .003).[2][Level of evidence: 1iiA] A preliminary report, in abstract form, of a phase III trial (CAN-NCIC-PA3) comparing gemcitabine alone versus the combination of gemcitabine and erlotinib (100 mg/day) in patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic carcinomas showed that erlotinib modestly prolonged survival when combined with gemcitabine alone.[4] Differences in overall survival (OS) favored the erlotinib arm (hazard ratio = 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.67–0.97; P = .025). The corresponding median and 1-year survival rates for patients receiving erlotinib versus placebo were 6.37 months and 5.91 months, and 24% versus 17%, respectively.[4][Level of evidence: 1iiA] When 5-FU was added to gemcitabine and compared with gemcitabine alone, the median survival of patients with advanced or metastatic disease (6.7 months vs. 5.7 months, respectively, P = .09) was not significantly improved.[5][Level of evidence: 1iiA]

Standard treatment options:

1. Chemotherapy with gemcitabine or gemcitabine and erlotinib.[1,6-14]



2. Pain-relieving procedures (e.g., celiac or intrapleural block) and supportive care.[15]



3. Palliative surgical biliary bypass, percutaneous radiologic biliary stent placement, or endoscopically placed biliary stents.[16-18]

Treatment options under clinical evaluation:

• Clinical trials evaluating new anticancer agents alone or in combination with chemotherapy.[6-11,13,19-24]

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage IV pancreatic cancer. The list of clinical trials can be further narrowed by location, drug, intervention, and other criteria.

General information about clinical trials is also available from the NCI Web site.

References

1. Rothenberg ML, Moore MJ, Cripps MC, et al.: A phase II trial of gemcitabine in patients with 5-FU-refractory pancreas cancer. Ann Oncol 7 (4): 347-53, 1996.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
2. Burris HA 3rd, Moore MJ, Andersen J, et al.: Improvements in survival and clinical benefit with gemcitabine as first-line therapy for patients with advanced pancreas cancer: a randomized trial. J Clin Oncol 15 (6): 2403-13, 1997.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
3. Storniolo AM, Enas NH, Brown CA, et al.: An investigational new drug treatment program for patients with gemcitabine: results for over 3000 patients with pancreatic carcinoma. Cancer 85 (6): 1261-8, 1999.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
4. Moore MJ, Goldstein D, Hamm J, et al.: Erlotinib plus gemcitabine compared to gemcitabine alone in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. A phase III trial of the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group [NCIC-CTG]. [Abstract] J Clin Oncol 23 (Suppl 16): A-1, 1s, 2005. 
   
   
5. Berlin JD, Catalano P, Thomas JP, et al.: Phase III study of gemcitabine in combination with fluorouracil versus gemcitabine alone in patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Trial E2297. J Clin Oncol 20 (15): 3270-5, 2002.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
6. MacDonald JS, Widerlite L, Schein PS: Biology, diagnosis, and chemotherapeutic management of pancreatic malignancy. Adv Pharmacol Chemother 14: 107-42, 1977.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
7. Bukowski RM, Balcerzak SP, O'Bryan RM, et al.: Randomized trial of 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C with or without streptozotocin for advanced pancreatic cancer. A Southwest Oncology Group study. Cancer 52 (9): 1577-82, 1983.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
8. DeCaprio JA, Mayer RJ, Gonin R, et al.: Fluorouracil and high-dose leucovorin in previously untreated patients with advanced adenocarcinoma of the pancreas: results of a phase II trial. J Clin Oncol 9 (12): 2128-33, 1991.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
9. Kelsen D, Hudis C, Niedzwiecki D, et al.: A phase III comparison trial of streptozotocin, mitomycin, and 5-fluorouracil with cisplatin, cytosine arabinoside, and caffeine in patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma. Cancer 68 (5): 965-9, 1991.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
10. O'Connell MJ: Current status of chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic and gastric cancer. J Clin Oncol 3 (7): 1032-9, 1985.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
11. Crown J, Casper ES, Botet J, et al.: Lack of efficacy of high-dose leucovorin and fluorouracil in patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. J Clin Oncol 9 (9): 1682-6, 1991.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
12. Carmichael J, Fink U, Russell RC, et al.: Phase II study of gemcitabine in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Br J Cancer 73 (1): 101-5, 1996.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
13. Haller DG: Chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 56 (4 Suppl): 16-23, 2003.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
14. Kulke MH, Blaszkowsky LS, Ryan DP, et al.: Capecitabine plus erlotinib in gemcitabine-refractory advanced pancreatic cancer. J Clin Oncol 25 (30): 4787-92, 2007.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
15. Polati E, Finco G, Gottin L, et al.: Prospective randomized double-blind trial of neurolytic coeliac plexus block in patients with pancreatic cancer. Br J Surg 85 (2): 199-201, 1998.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
16. van den Bosch RP, van der Schelling GP, Klinkenbijl JH, et al.: Guidelines for the application of surgery and endoprostheses in the palliation of obstructive jaundice in advanced cancer of the pancreas. Ann Surg 219 (1): 18-24, 1994.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
17. Sohn TA, Lillemoe KD, Cameron JL, et al.: Surgical palliation of unresectable periampullary adenocarcinoma in the 1990s. J Am Coll Surg 188 (6): 658-66; discussion 666-9, 1999.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
18. Baron TH: Expandable metal stents for the treatment of cancerous obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract. N Engl J Med 344 (22): 1681-7, 2001.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
19. Rougier P, Adenis A, Ducreux M, et al.: A phase II study: docetaxel as first-line chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Eur J Cancer 36 (8): 1016-25, 2000.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
20. Bramhall SR, Rosemurgy A, Brown PD, et al.: Marimastat as first-line therapy for patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer: a randomized trial. J Clin Oncol 19 (15): 3447-55, 2001.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
21. Stathopoulos GP, Mavroudis D, Tsavaris N, et al.: Treatment of pancreatic cancer with a combination of docetaxel, gemcitabine and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor: a phase II study of the Greek Cooperative Group for Pancreatic Cancer. Ann Oncol 12 (1): 101-3, 2001.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
22. Feliu J, López Alvarez MP, Jaraiz MA, et al.: Phase II trial of gemcitabine and UFT modulated by leucovorin in patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma. The ONCOPAZ Cooperative Group. Cancer 89 (8): 1706-13, 2000.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
23. Rocha Lima CM, Savarese D, Bruckner H, et al.: Irinotecan plus gemcitabine induces both radiographic and CA 19-9 tumor marker responses in patients with previously untreated advanced pancreatic cancer. J Clin Oncol 20 (5): 1182-91, 2002.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
24. Smith D, Gallagher N: A phase II/III study comparing intravenous ZD9331 with gemcitabine in patients with pancreatic cancer. Eur J Cancer 39 (10): 1377-83, 2003.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    

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