Efficacy and Safety Study of LE-DT to Treat Locally Advanced or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Inclusion criteria

• Patient is 18 years or older, male and female.
• Patient has histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Patients with islet cell neoplasms are excluded. Biopsy sample must be available for SPARC assay.
• Patients must have clinical or radiographic evidence of locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer with measurable disease.
• Male or non-pregnant and non-lactating female:

• If a female patient is of child-bearing potential, as evidenced by regular menstrual periods, she must have a negative serum pregnancy test (β hCG) documented within 72 hours of the first administration of study drug.
• If sexually active, the patient must agree to use contraception considered adequate and appropriate by the Investigator.
• Patient can be newly-diagnosed without prior treatment or have failed initial adjuvant treatment with either gemcitabine, 5-FU or capecitabine with or without radiation therapy.
• Patient has the following blood counts at baseline:

• ANC greater than or equal to 1500 per uL
• Platelets greater than or equal to 100000 per uL
• Hgb greater than or equal to 9 g per dL
• Patient has the following blood chemistry levels at baseline:

• AST (SGOT), ALT (SGPT) less than or equal to 2.5 times of the upper limit of normal range (ULN), unless liver metastases are present, then less than or equal 5 times of the ULN is allowed
• Bilirubin less than or equal to 1.5 times of the ULN
• Serum creatinine less than or equal to 1.5 times of the ULN or calculated clearance greater than or equal to 60 mL/min for patients with serum creatinine levels above the institutional normal value.
• Patient has acceptable coagulation profile as indicated by a Prothrombin time (PT) and Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT) within normal limits (plus or minus 15%) unless explained by the use of anticoagulants
• Patient has an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2
• Patient has one or more metastatic lesions or locally advanced primary tumor measurable by CT or MRI.
• Patient or legal representative must understand the investigational nature of this study and sign an Independent Ethics Committee/Institutional Review Board-approved written informed consent form prior to receiving any study related procedure.

Exclusion criteria

• Patient has known brain metastases.
• Patient has active, uncontrolled bacterial, viral, or fungal infection(s) requiring systemic therapy.
• Patient has known infection with HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C.
• Patient has undergone major surgery, other than diagnostic surgery (i.e. surgery done to obtain a biopsy for diagnosis without removal of an organ), within 4 weeks prior to Day 1 of treatment in this study.
• Patient who have received any other treatment for pancreatic cancer including radiotherapy, chemotherapy or any investigational therapy with the exception of initial adjuvant treatment including either gemcitabine, 5-FU or capecitabine with or without radiation therapy
• Patient has a history of allergy or hypersensitivity to the study drug.
• Patient has serious medical risk factors involving any of the major organ systems such that the Investigator considers it unsafe for the patient to receive an experimental research drug.
• Patient has pre-existing peripheral neuropathy of Grade >1 based on the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE)
• Patient is unwilling or unable to comply with study procedures.
• Patient is enrolled in any other clinical or investigational trial.