Archives: Clinical Trials

This is a multicenter randomized phase II trial that aims to include 160 patients with a non-metastatic (localized), inoperable pancreatic tumor. The study will take place at multiple centers across Europe. The primary objective of the study is to demonstrate superiority in progression free survival (PFS) by adding stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to chemotherapy for patients with an inoperable non-metastasized pancreatic tumor. SBRT is a radiotherapy technique (i.e. destroying cancer cells by means of ionizing irradiation) in which tumors can be irradiated with a high radiation dose. Surrounding healthy tissue is thus spared to the maximum extent. The primary endpoint of the TORPEDO study is 2-year PFS defined as the percentage of patients who are free of disease progression at 110 weeks after the date when the patients were drawn into 2 treatment groups (i.e. randomization). Secondary outcomes are, among others, quality of life, acute and late toxicity (i.e. adverse events), metastasis-free survival, local progression-free survival, overall survival, subsequent resectability, R0 resection and surgical morbidity.

During the study, patients without disease progression after 3 months of induction chemotherapy will be randomized 1:1 to either treatment with chemotherapy or treatment with a combination of chemotherapy and SBRT (5 x 8 Gy). After randomization, ten-weekly follow-up visits will occur during two years to evaluate the quality of life, general blood parameters and general health condition of the patient. Moreover, toxicity will be evaluated as well as efficiency and safety of the treatment (e.g. by means of imaging). At any time during this follow-up period, imaging (CT scan, MRI scan) will be used to determine whether surgery can still be performed to improve patient survival.

The goal of this retrospective cohort study is to analyze change of treatment strategies affect the survival outcomes in patients of pancreatic cancer who received curative-intent treatment. The main question it aims to answer is:

Hypothesis: Change of treatment strategies involving increased utility of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and aggressive surgical approaches of extended pancreatectomy improved the overall and progression free survival in the patients with pancreatic cancer.

Participants received curative treatment for pancreatic cancer.

The goal of this clinical trial (REMBRANDT) is to evaluate the effectiveness of adding an extra connection (i.e. 'Braun anastomosis') after standard reconstruction in pancreatic head resection in reducing the incidence of delayed gastric emptying.

This was a multicenter, open label, randomized phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BEZ235 as compared to everolimus in patients with advanced, low to intermediate grade pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET).

This monocentric study aims at evaluating the effects of fecal microbiota transplantation from newly diagnosed cachectic and non-cachectic pancreatic cancer patients, and healthy volunteers on several cachexia-related parameters of germ-free mice.

This clinical trial is looking at a combination of drugs called trastuzumab and pertuzumab. This combination of drugs is approved together as standard of care treatment for adult patients with breast cancer (often with other anti-cancer drugs). This means it has gone through clinical trials and been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK.

Trastuzumab and pertuzumab work in patients with these types of cancers which have a molecular alteration called HER2 amplification or HER2 activating mutation.

Investigators now wish to find out if it will be useful in treating patients with other cancer types which are also HER2 amplified or HER2 mutated. If the results are positive, the study team will work with the NHS and the Cancer Drugs Fund to see if these drugs can be routinely accessed for patients in the future.

This trial is part of a trial programme called DETERMINE. The programme will also look at other anti-cancer drugs in the same way, through matching the drug to rare cancer types or ones with specific mutations.

The goal of this observational study is to use endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) to investigate the intratumoral microbiome profile in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and to evaluate its potential impact on tumor diagnosis and prognosis. PDAC is the most common and lethal type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for over 85% of all pancreatic cancer cases. Given that most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage when surgery is no longer an option, EUS-FNB serves as a crucial and minimally invasive method for accessing and analyzing the microbiome within the tumor.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

Can EUS-FNB reliably and accurately detect the microbiome within PDAC tumors?

Researchers will analyze tissue samples obtained through EUS-FNB to confirm its ability to accurately capture the diversity and composition of the tumor microbiome.

Are there specific microbes or metabolites within the PDAC tumor microbiome that are linked to patient prognosis or response to chemotherapy?

The study will screen for and identify key microbial species or metabolites associated with treatment outcomes and patient survival in PDAC.

To ensure the reliability of the EUS-FNB results, researchers will systematically compare microbiome data obtained from EUS-FNB samples with those from surgical biopsies of pancreatic cancer tissue. This comparison will help validate the consistency and accuracy of the two methods in identifying the microbiome diversity and composition, confirming the clinical and research utility of EUS-FNB.

Participant Requirements:

Participants will be patients diagnosed with PDAC who require EUS-FNB as part of their clinical assessment and treatment pathway.

During the EUS-FNB procedure, researchers will use the remaining tissue after rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) to conduct microbiome sequencing, ensuring sample quality.

All participants will provide informed consent, allowing the use of leftover tissue for microbiome analysis, and their privacy will be strictly protected throughout the study.

Study Procedures:

Participants will undergo a standard EUS-FNB procedure as part of their routine clinical care, with no additional procedures required for the study.

Researchers will compare the microbiome characteristics from EUS-FNB samples with those from surgical biopsy samples to verify consistency.

The study will utilize 2bRAD-M metagenomic sequencing technology, which is cost-effective and suitable for low-biomass, host-contaminated, and degraded microbiome samples. This method generates an accurate species-level taxonomic profile for analysis.

By identifying key microbial components or metabolites linked to patient prognosis or treatment response, this study aims to provide scientific evidence for early detection strategies and effective treatment plans for PDAC patients, potentially bringing significant clinical benefits.

The aim of this study is to compare the two surgical approaches namely laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy and open pancreatoduodenectomy for management of periampullary and pancreatic head cancers in terms of parameters like hospital stay, pathological radicality, complication rate, peri-operative and post operative outcomes.

To study the safety and effectiveness of the AXIOS Stent with Electrocautery Enhanced Delivery System for endoscopic trans enteric drainage of pancreatic pseudocyst and walled-off necrosis in Chinese population, to support the regulatory approval by CFDA

Due to widespread use of cross-sectional imaging modalities, pancreatic cysts are common in abdominal image. These lesions encompass a wide spectrum, ranging from benign to malignant. The diagnosing specific type of cystic lesion is limited in spite of recent advances of diagnostic modalities. Surgical resection is generally recommended for malignant and potentially malignant lesions. However, surgical resection has significant morbidity and sometimes mortality. Recently, a few study of EUS-guided ethanol lavage for cystic tumors of the pancreas reported that complete resolution was achieved in only one-third of patients. Ethanol lavage of pancreatic cysts may be alternative method to surgical resection.

The purpose of this study is the double ethanol lavage is a safe and effective method for treatment in those with the indeterminate pancreas cysts.