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Combination Chemotherapy, and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

A Phase II Study Of Neo-Adjuvant Chemotherapy And Radiation In Patients With Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00089024
Enrollment
29
Registered
2004-08-05
Start date
2004-02-25
Completion date
2014-12-01
Last updated
2023-09-29

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Pancreatic Cancer

Keywords

adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, stage II pancreatic cancer, stage III pancreatic cancer

Brief summary

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Giving combination chemotherapy with radiation therapy before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it can be removed. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving combination chemotherapy together with radiation therapy works in treating patients who may undergo surgery for locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Detailed description

OBJECTIVES: * Determine the antitumor and clinical benefit response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy comprising gemcitabine, fluorouracil, leucovorin calcium, and oxaliplatin in patients with potentially resectable locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. * Determine the toxic effects of this regimen in these patients. * Determine the achieved steady-state plasma levels of gemcitabine and fluorouracil in these patients and correlate these plasma levels with clinical toxicity associated with this regimen. * Determine the potential importance of polymorphic variations in genomic DNA of pertinent genes (whose protein products are targets of the antineoplastic drugs used in this study) on response to and toxicity of this regimen in these patients. * Determine the gene expression profiles of primary and metastatic pancreatic tumors before and after treatment with this regimen. OUTLINE: * Neoadjuvant chemotherapy: Patients receive gemcitabine IV over 30 minutes and fluorouracil IV continuously over 24 hours on days 2 and 9, and leucovorin calcium orally on days 1 and 8 and IV on days 2 and 9. Treatment repeats every 21 days for 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. * Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: Beginning on day 42, patients undergo chemoradiotherapy comprising oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours on days 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, and 77 and fluorouracil IV continuously on days 42-78 with external beam radiotherapy. * Surgery: Patients undergo surgical resection 42-56 days after completion of chemoradiotherapy. * Adjuvant chemotherapy: After post-operative recovery, patients receive 2 additional courses of gemcitabine, fluorouracil, and leucovorin calcium. If surgical resection is not possible, patients with stable or responsive disease resume gemcitabine, fluorouracil, and leucovorin calcium indefinitely in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients are followed every 3 months. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 50 patients will be accrued for this study.

Interventions

DRUGfluorouracil

2700 mg/m5 IV over 24 hr after gemcitabine weeks 1 & 2; Repeat one 3-week cycle starting day 22

DRUGgemcitabine hydrochloride

750 (females) or 900 (males) mg/m5 IV over 30 min (day 2)weeks 1 & 2; Repeat one 3-week cycle starting day 22

DRUGleucovorin calcium

20 mg/m5 PO (day 1) and 20 mg/m5 IV (day 2) weeks 1 and 2; Repeat one 3-week cycle starting day 22

DRUGoxaliplatin

48 mg/m5 IV over 2 hr weeks 1, 2, 4, and 5

PROCEDUREadjuvant therapy

Patients who have undergone surgical resection, after post-operative recovery, will receive two additional cycles of gemcitabine/5-FU/leucovorin. Patients will then be followed at 3 month intervals with a history and physical exam, CT scan of the chest/abdomen/pelvis, and tumor markers. If surgical resection is not possible, patients with stable or responsive disease will resume gemcitabine/5-FU/leucovorin and continue on it indefinitely until disease progression provided the patient tolerates it and wishes to remain on therapy.

PROCEDUREconventional surgery

Restaging with repeat imaging studies will be performed four weeks after completion of the chemo-radiation. If no contraindication for surgical resection is identified, resection will be performed six to eight weeks after completing chemoradiation. At the time of surgical resection, an extensive examination of the abdomen will be performed to exclude the presence of metastatic disease. All operations will be performed with curative intent with resection of all gross tumor (ie R0 \[negative margins\] or R1 \[positive microscopic margins\]). Resection of adjacent involved organs or vascular structures will be performed as clinically indicated.

PROCEDUREneoadjuvant therapy

Eligible patients will receive an initial two cycles of chemotherapy with gemcitabine 750 (females) or 900 (males) mg/m5 over 30 minutes followed by a 24-hour infusion of fluorouracil 2700 mg/m5 on days 2 and 9 of a 21-day cycle . Calcium leucovorin 20 mg/m5 will be given orally on days 1 and 8 and by IV push on days 2 and 9 prior to the 5-FU. A window of -2 up to +7 days will be allowed to start planned cycles of therapy provided all other criteria to restart the new cycle has been met. Patients will require a central venous catheter (Port, Hickman or Groshong catheter) for the administration of 5-FU.

RADIATIONradiation therapy

A re-staging CT scan, which will be obtained as part of the radiation simulation, will be used to assess any possible response to the initial two cycles of chemotherapy. Unless the patient has developed evidence of metastatic disease, chemoradiation will proceed. Patients who required no treatment delays will commence chemoradiation on day 42. If a one-week delay is needed before cycle 2 of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy can be delivered, the patient will begin chemoradiation on day 49 provided treatment-related toxicity has resolved. If cycle 2 could not be given (2 or more week delay for resolution of treatment-related toxicity), then chemoradiation will begin once toxicity has resolved (may be earlier than day 42).

Sponsors

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH
University of Nebraska
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
19 Years to 120 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the pancreas o Locally advanced disease * Potentially resectable disease * 19 years of age and over * Karnofsky 60-100% * Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 2,000/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL (in the absence of biliary obstruction) * If biliary obstruction is present, patients must undergo biliary decompression * Bilirubin ≤ 3.0 mg/dL after biliary drainage has been established * Creatinine ≤ 1.6 mg/dL

Exclusion criteria

* No early stage resectable disease * No concurrent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication * No evidence of distant metastases to the liver or peritoneal area according to imaging studies and laparoscopic staging * No symptomatic congestive heart failure * No unstable angina pectoris * No serious uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia * Not pregnant or nursing * No uncontrolled illness * No active or ongoing infection requiring IV antibiotics * No marked intolerance to 5-fluoropyrimidines (i.e., fluorouracil, floxuridine, capecitabine, or fluorocytosine) * No allergy to sulfonamides, aspirin, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs * No allergy to platinum compounds or to antiemetics appropriate for administration in conjunction with study chemotherapy * No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or adequately treated noninvasive carcinoma * No prior chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer * No prior abdominal radiotherapy

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Surgical ExplorationAfter 6 weeks of chemotherapy and then after 4 weeks of chemo-radiation.Patients who completed chemotherapy & chemo-radiation had restaging imaging studies 4 weeks after completion of chemo-radiation. If there were no contraindications for surgical resection, surgical exploration was performed 6-8 weeks after completing chemo-radiation
Number of Participants Experiencing Grade 3-4 Toxicity While Receiving the Study TreatmentFrom time of first dose until 30 days following final treatment, approximately 24 weeksToxicity event collected during Induction chemotherapy (CT) - two 3-week cycles, Concurrent CT and Radiation Therapy (CRT) (approximately 5.5 weeks), post CRT (4 weeks after the end of CRT), 2-3 months post CRT (8-12 weeks after the end of CRT)

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Treatment
neoadjuvant regimen involving gemcitabine, infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin and radiation therapy (RT) in patients with potentially resectable locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Induction chemotherapy (CT) consisted of two 3-week cycles of weekly gemcitabine with 24-hour continuous infusion of 5 FU for 2 of 3 weeks. Chemoradiation (CRT) consisted of RT of 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions or 50 Gy in 25 fractions and weekly oxaliplatin with 24-hour continuous infusion of 5 FU throughout RT. The first 7 patients also received celecoxib 200 mg BID throughout induction CT and CRT.
29
Total29

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicTreatment
Age, Continuous60 years
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Caucasian
28 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Hispanic
1 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
17 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
12 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
7 / 29
other
Total, other adverse events
27 / 29
serious
Total, serious adverse events
25 / 29

Outcome results

Primary

Number of Participants Experiencing Grade 3-4 Toxicity While Receiving the Study Treatment

Toxicity event collected during Induction chemotherapy (CT) - two 3-week cycles, Concurrent CT and Radiation Therapy (CRT) (approximately 5.5 weeks), post CRT (4 weeks after the end of CRT), 2-3 months post CRT (8-12 weeks after the end of CRT)

Time frame: From time of first dose until 30 days following final treatment, approximately 24 weeks

Population: A total of 29 patients started induction CT. Two patients dropped out because of progressive disease (PD) and 1 died from pulmonary embolus. 27 patients continued with CRT 24 (89%) received the full radiation dose. Of 24, 5 went off study prior to surgical exploration, for remaining 19 with surgical exploration.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
TreatmentNumber of Participants Experiencing Grade 3-4 Toxicity While Receiving the Study TreatmentInduction CT, grade 34 Participants
TreatmentNumber of Participants Experiencing Grade 3-4 Toxicity While Receiving the Study TreatmentInduction CT, grade 45 Participants
TreatmentNumber of Participants Experiencing Grade 3-4 Toxicity While Receiving the Study TreatmentCRT, grade 311 Participants
TreatmentNumber of Participants Experiencing Grade 3-4 Toxicity While Receiving the Study TreatmentCRT, grade 40 Participants
TreatmentNumber of Participants Experiencing Grade 3-4 Toxicity While Receiving the Study TreatmentWithin 1 mo. post CRT, grade 312 Participants
TreatmentNumber of Participants Experiencing Grade 3-4 Toxicity While Receiving the Study TreatmentWithin 1 mo. post CRT, grade 41 Participants
TreatmentNumber of Participants Experiencing Grade 3-4 Toxicity While Receiving the Study Treatment2-3 mos. post CRT, grade 39 Participants
TreatmentNumber of Participants Experiencing Grade 3-4 Toxicity While Receiving the Study Treatment2-3 mos. post CRT, grade 40 Participants
Primary

Surgical Exploration

Patients who completed chemotherapy & chemo-radiation had restaging imaging studies 4 weeks after completion of chemo-radiation. If there were no contraindications for surgical resection, surgical exploration was performed 6-8 weeks after completing chemo-radiation

Time frame: After 6 weeks of chemotherapy and then after 4 weeks of chemo-radiation.

Population: Only 19 participants under went surgical exploration.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
TreatmentSurgical Explorationunresectable disease4 Participants
TreatmentSurgical Explorationintra-abdominal metastasis6 Participants
TreatmentSurgical Explorationresection of the primary tumor9 Participants

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 20, 2026