Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT05825066

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Borderline Resectable and Locally Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

The objective of this research is to find out what effects (good and bad), the sequence of Gemcitabine - Abraxane (nab-Paclitaxel) followed by mFOLFIRINOX, the standard chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, has on participants and their condition. Gemcitabine - Abraxane (nab-Paclitaxel) and mFOLFIRINOX has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as first line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer. The sequence of Gemcitabine - Abraxane (nab-Paclitaxel) followed by mFOLFIRINOX has not been approved by the FDA for treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Pancreas Adenocarcinoma Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Locally Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Ravi K Paluri, MD, MPH

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Study Coordinator

CONTACT

[email protected]

336-713-6912

About this study

Primary Objective:

  • The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of sequential Gemcitabine - Abraxane (nab-Paclitaxel) followed by mFOLFIRINOX in improving R0 resection rate in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer and locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Secondary Objectives:

  • Evaluate the safety and tolerability of sequential Gemcitabine - Abraxane (nab-Paclitaxel) followed by mFOLFIRINOX in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer and locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer
  • Evaluate progression-free survival (PFS) in patients treated with sequential Gemcitabine - Abraxane (nab-Paclitaxel) followed by mFOLFIRINOX in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer and locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1) guidelines
  • Evaluate overall survival (OS) in patients treated with sequential Gemcitabine - Abraxane (nab-Paclitaxel) followed by mFOLFIRINOX in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer and locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer
  • Evaluate the objective response rate (ORR) in patients treated with sequential Gemcitabine - Abraxane (nab-Paclitaxel) followed by mFOLFIRINOX in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer and locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer.
  • Evaluate the disease control rate (DCR) in patients treated with Gemcitabine - Abraxane (nab-Paclitaxel) followed by mFOLFIRINOX in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer and locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients must have histologically or cytologically proven adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Patients with mixed tumor with predominant adenocarcinoma pathology can be enrolled
  • Patients with borderline resectable or locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma as assessed per National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines (either pancreatic head, neck, uncinate process, or body/tail) or institutional multidisciplinary consensus
  • Age 18 or above
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 - 1
  • Patients must have organ and marrow function as defined below:

Hemoglobin* ≥8 g/dL Absolute neutrophil count ≥1,500/mcL Platelets* ≥100,000/mcL Total bilirubin* ≤1.5 X institutional upper limit of normal AST(SGOT)/ALT(SGPT) <2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal Creatinine ≤1.5 X institutional upper limit of normal or CrCL>50

  • It is acceptable to transfuse packed red blood cells (PRBC) and platelets at the time of enrollment to meet the eligibility criteria.
  • If obstructive jaundice is present, consider ursodiol or a biliary drainage procedure. If the total bilirubin can be reduced or kept to less than or equal to 3 mg/dL, then this inclusion criteria is met.
  • Measurable disease per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST v1.1).
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign an IRB-approved informed consent document (either directly or via a legally authorized representative)

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients who have had prior chemotherapy with gemcitabine and/or nab-paclitaxel or FOLFIRINOX for pancreatic cancer
  • Patients receiving any other investigational anti-neoplastic agents
  • History of malignancy in last 3 years except cervical cancer in situ, adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of skin or treated low risk prostate cancer, who are considered to be eligible
  • Patients with active and uncontrolled bacterial, viral or fungal infection requiring systemic therapy. Patients can be reevaluated for the study if the infection is deemed to be under control and the systemic therapy for the infection is completed
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements or compromise the patient's safety
  • Patients with known diagnosis of interstitial lung disease, sarcoidosis, pulmonary fibrosis, or pneumonitis requiring oxygen supplementation. Those that do not require oxygen supplementation are eligible.
  • Patients who have undergone surgery, other than diagnostic or minor procedures, within 4 weeks prior to the initiation of study treatment
  • Patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding

Treatment and study plan

Nab paclitaxel

Drug

The intervention will be administered on an outpatient basis. The patients on this study will begin treatment with GA for one month and then transition to mFFX for one month.

The patient will come off of the sequence study intervention if the imaging after the 2nd month shows unequivocal progression. After four months of sequential neoadjuvant therapy the patient will come off study and can proceed to surgery, radiation, or extended course of chemotherapy as determined by the multidisciplinary tumor board consensus or the treating physician.

Gemcitabine

Drug

The intervention will be administered on an outpatient basis. The patients on this study will begin treatment with GA for one month and then transition to mFFX for one month.

The patient will come off of the sequence study intervention if the imaging after the 2nd month shows unequivocal progression. After four months of sequential neoadjuvant therapy the patient will come off study and can proceed to surgery, radiation, or extended course of chemotherapy as determined by the multidisciplinary tumor board consensus or the treating physician.

Radiological Assessments

Other

CT imaging of chest abdomen and pelvis will be performed every 8 weeks. MRI may be used.

mFOLFIRINOX

Drug

The intervention will be administered on an outpatient basis. The patients on this study will begin treatment with GA for one month and then transition to mFFX for one month.

The patient will come off of the sequence study intervention if the imaging after the 2nd month shows unequivocal progression. After four months of sequential neoadjuvant therapy the patient will come off study and can proceed to surgery, radiation, or extended course of chemotherapy as determined by the multidisciplinary tumor board consensus or the treating physician.

Primary outcomes

  1. R0 Resection Rate - Borderline Resectable Prostate Cancer Participants

    Time frame: Approximately every 8 weeks, up to 9 months

    The R0 resection is assessed only in patients who undergo surgery. R0 resection is a microscopically margin-negative resection, in which no gross or microscopic tumor remains in the primary tumor bed. Participants are considered to be evaluable if they receive at least one sequence of treatments with GA and mFFX (1 cycle GA followed by 1 cycle of m FFX). Primary analysis for each cohort will calculate the R0 resection rate with one-sided 95% confidence interval.

  2. R0 Resection Rate - Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer Participants

    Time frame: Approximately every 8 weeks, up to 9 months

    The R0 resection is assessed only in patients who undergo surgery. R0 resection is a microscopically margin-negative resection, in which no gross or microscopic tumor remains in the primary tumor bed. Participants are considered to be evaluable if they receive at least one sequence of treatments with GA and mFFX (1 cycle GA followed by 1 cycle of m FFX). Primary analysis for each cohort will calculate the R0 resection rate with one-sided 95% confidence interval.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Incidences of Adverse Events - Safety

    Time frame: Up to 1 year after completion of study intervention

    The incidence of treatment-emergent toxicities/adverse events (AEs) and Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) in terms categorized and graded according to National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE version 5). Incidence tables will be generated to summarize incidence of patients reporting at least one episode of each specific adverse event, incidence of adverse events causing withdrawals and incidence of serious adverse events, separated by cohort.

  2. Number of Participants to Complete Study Intervention- Tolerability

    Time frame: 9 months

    The number of participants to complete 4 cycles of sequential chemotherapy.

  3. Progression-Free Survival (PFS)

    Time frame: Up to 1 year after completion of study intervention

    Progression free survival (PFS) is defined from the day of study treatment initiation until progression according to RECIST v 1.1 guidelines (d. Progression: One or more of the following must occur: 20% increase in the sum of appropriate diameters of target measurable lesions over smallest sum observed (over baseline if no decrease during therapy) using the same techniques as baseline, as well as an absolute increase of at least 0.5 cm. Unequivocal progression of non-measurable disease in the opinion of the treating physician) or death of any cause, whichever occurs first, as measured throughout the study. Stratified Kaplan-Meier curves will be constructed to assess PFS with estimated 6-month and median times with 95% confidence intervals

  4. Overall Survival (OS)

    Time frame: Up to 1 year after completion of study intervention

    Overall survival (OS) is defined from the time of study treatment initiation until death of any cause. Stratified Kaplan-Meier curves will be constructed to assess OS with estimated 6-month and median times with 95% confidence intervals

  5. Tumor Response

    Time frame: Up to 1 year after completion of study intervention

    Tumor response based defined as the proportion of patients who achieve complete response or partial response based on RECISTv1.1 criteria. These will be evaluated according to the RECISTv1.1 criteria using a summarized count/percent with one-sided 95% confidence interval for each cohort:

    The RECIST v1.1 definitions include:

    Complete Response (CR): The disappearance of all target lesions.

    Partial Response (PR): At least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions.

  6. Disease Control

    Time frame: Up to 1 year after completion of study intervention

    Disease control is defined as the proportion of patients with a disease control rate (complete + partial response + stable disease) based on RECISTv1.1 criteria using a summarized count/percent with one-sided 95% confidence interval for each cohort.

    Complete Response (CR): Complete disappearance of all target and non-target lesions (with the exception of lymph nodes mentioned below). No new lesions. No disease related symptoms.

    Partial Response (PR): Applies only to patients with at least one measurable lesion. Greater than or equal to 30% decrease under baseline of the sum of appropriate diameters of all target measurable lesions.

    Stable: Does not qualify for CR, PR, Progression or Symptomatic Deterioration. All target measurable lesions must be assessed using the same techniques as baseline.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Study Coordinator

CONTACT

[email protected]

3367165772

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Other

Collaborators

  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Registry information

Official study title

Sequential Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Borderline Resectable and Locally Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2028
First posted
Apr 24, 2023
Registry last updated
Mar 25, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.