Active clinical trials for "Pancreatic Neoplasms"

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if there is a difference in patients' quality of recovery if they receive 1 of 2 standard kinds of pain control treatments after surgery on the liver and/or pancreas. Researchers want to learn which method helps people to recover more completely and more quickly after surgery. The 2 kinds of pain control are intravenous (IV) pain management and epidural pain management.

Pancreatic cancer patients have one of the worst prognoses among all cancer types with a 5 year survival rate of less than 5%. Despite significant changes during the last decade in our molecular knowledge on this disease, the prognosis and management of pancreatic cancer have remained unchanged. With the advances in molecular biology, newer biologic agents such as erlotinib, are adding some benefit to the conventional cytotoxic agents. There is a growing body of literature suggesting that type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) may be associated with the development of pancreatic cancer, but this association is complex. Because various DM medications can affect directly the key factors mediating the association between DM and pancreatic cancer, understanding the effect of anti-diabetic therapies on pancreatic cancer is a critical step in fully characterizing the role of type 2 DM in the development of pancreatic cancer. Indeed, two epidemiologic studies have found that diabetic patients treated with metformin were less likely to develop cancer, but those treated with insulin were more likely to die of various kinds cancer. Not only does metformin ameliorate hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, both of which are associated with the adverse impact of DM on cancer, metformin also has direct metabolic effects through activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK regulates many metabolic enzymes and also inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway via phosphorylation and stabilization of the tumor suppressor gene TSC2. But there is an intensive cross-talk between various pathways. Inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, of which mTOR is one of the effector proteins, for instance may result in escape via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and vice verse. Indeed, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation leads to activation of the MAPK pathway and the PI3K pathway. Thus, since it is clear that blocking one pathway will not always be sufficient to produce a response in the presence of other activated pathways, the best change of success will be realized when using a combination of agents that inhibit separate pathways known to be critical to the survival of the tumour. In line with these observations, combining a small molecule against the EGFR and inhibition of the PI3K pathway by metformin might account for potential candidates of the above combinatorial approach. Therefore, in this study, the investigators want to determine the activity and safety of concurrent interruption of the MAPK and PI3K pathways by the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib and metformin, combined with gemcitabine in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

This study will evaluate efficacy, safety and tolerability of Avastin versus placebo added to a chemotherapeutic regimen in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. The anticipated time of study treatment is until confirmed evidence of disease progression, and the target sample size is 500+ individuals.

This is a single-arm, open-label study to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary efficacy of talazoparib in patients with advanced tumors with DNA-repair pathway deficiencies. There will be 2 parts to the study: a dose escalation phase in which the maximum tolerated dose will be defined, and a dose expansion phase.

To compare, in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, the effects of IMM-101 in combination with gemcitabine to gemcitabine alone on safety and tolerability (including QoL), clinical signs and symptoms of disease, selected markers of tumour burden and immunological status, and disease outcome.

Patients whose pancreatic cancers have defects in the BRCA/Fanconi DNA repair pathway or other defects in homologous repair will have cancers that respond to olaparib when given in combination with the DNA damaging agents, irinotecan, cisplatin, mitomycin C (ICM).

Hydroxychloroquine is approved for the treatment of non-cancerous illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematous. Researchers in the laboratory have tested tumors from patients with pancreatic cancer and have discovered that they have certain pathways inside the cells that promote growth and survival of the tumor. Hydroxychloroquine may inactivate these pathways and results in the death of pancreatic cancer cells.

The purpose of this research study is for the participant to give their own T cells (a type of blood cell in the body that can fight infections and possibly cancer) to them after they have been removed, grown in a lab, and then coated with an experimental drug. This study will determine the highest dose of EGFR2Bi coated T cells that can be given without causing severe side effects. Initially a group of 3 participants will receive the same dose of study drug. If no serious side effects occur, the next group of participants will receive a slightly higher dose of study agent. The following groups of participants will receive higher doses of the study drug until a dose is reached where there are unacceptable side effects and maximum tolerated dose is found, or the planned highest dose level is reached with no side effects.

This is a pilot study to evaluate the role of the addition of CP870, 893 to the neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting for patients with resectable pancreatic cancer. Patients will receive standard surgery followed by chemoradiation for their disease, but one dose of gem/cp 870,893 will be pre-op and 3 doses post-op.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether ruxolitinib added to capecitabine is effective in improving the overall survival of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.