Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma clinical trials at UCSF

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjuvant autogene cevumeran plus atezolizumab and modified leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFIRINOX) versus mFOLFIRINOX alone in participants with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) who have not received prior systemic anti-cancer treatment for PDAC and have no evidence of disease after surgery.

This clinical trial evaluates whether it is possible to use a single dose of ketamine in combination with talk therapy to treat moderate to severe demoralization in patients with stage 3 or 4 gastrointestinal (GI) cancers who take opioids for cancer-related pain. Advanced stage gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients often suffer from high rates of psychosocial distress and pain. Symptoms of anxiety are highly prevalent among gastrointestinal (GI) cancers patients. While opioid analgesia (pain reliever) succeeds in managing some symptoms, chronic opioid therapy is associated with significant adverse effects, underscoring a need to identify alternative interventions in the treatment of cancer associated pain. GI cancer patients frequently suffer from existential distress, and demoralization is a form of existential distress that is common among people with serious medical illnesses. Demoralization is characterized by poor coping with stressful events, and a loss of meaning and purpose in life. Talk therapy is a form of psychological treatment during which patients discuss problems, thoughts, and feelings. Ketamine has demonstrated efficacy for the treatment of depression, suicidality, and pain in non-cancer patients. This study may help researchers learn whether ketamine and talk therapy combined may improve psychosocial distress and pain, as well as decreases opioid analgesic use in patients with advanced GI cancer who take opioids for cancer-related pain.

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of belzutifan in combination with pembrolizumab and lenvatinib in multiple solid tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), colorectal cancer (CRC), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), biliary tract cancer (BTC), endometrial cancer (EC),and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). There is no formal hypothesis testing in this study.

This is a multicenter, Phase 1/2 clinical trial to evaluate DCC-3084 alone or in combination with other cancer therapies in participants with advanced cancers. Module A will enroll participants with advanced/metastatic solid tumors. Additional modules exploring other cancers may be added to the master protocol at a later date. Each module will be conducted in 2 parts: Part 1 (Dose Escalation) and Part 2 (Dose Expansion).

Cancer is a condition where cells in a specific part of body grow and reproduce uncontrollably. The purpose of this study is to assess adverse events and change in disease activity when ABBV-400 is given to adult participants to treat advanced solid tumors. ABBV-400 is an investigational drug being developed for the treatment of advanced solid tumors. Study doctors put the participants in groups called cohorts. Each cohort receives ABBV-400 alone (monotherapy) followed by a safety follow-up period. Approximately 260 adult participants with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), biliary tract cancers (BTC), esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), hormone receptor+/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) breast cancer (hormone receptor-positive [HR+]/HER2-breast cancer [BC]), head and neck squamous-cell-carcinoma (HNSCC), Platinum Resistant High Grade Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (PROC)/primary peritoneal/fallopian tube cancer, or advanced solid tumors, will be enrolled in the study in approximately 54 sites worldwide. In the each cohorts, participants with the following advanced solid tumor indications: HCC, PDAC, BTC, ESCC, TNBC, HR+/HER2-BC, HNSCC, and PROC/primary peritoneal/fallopian tube cancer will receive intravenous (IV) ABBV-400 monotherapy for up to 2 years during and up to the treatment period with an additional safety follow-up period of up to 2 years. There may be higher treatment burden for participants in this trial compared to their standard of care. Participants will attend regular visits during the study at an approved institution (hospital or clinic). The effect of the treatment will be frequently checked by medical assessments, blood tests, questionnaires and side effects.

This phase II/III trial compares the effect of the 3-drug chemotherapy combination of nab-paclitaxel, gemcitabine, plus cisplatin versus the 2-drug chemotherapy combination of nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine for the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer that has spread to other places in the body (metastatic) and a known genetic mutation in the BRCA1, BRCA2, or PALB2 gene.

This study evaluates an investigational scan called hyperpolarized carbon-13 pyruvate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in assessing treatment response in patients with pancreatic ductal carcinoma (PDA) that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced) or that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). MRI is a standard scan that helps doctors see tumors, organs, tissue, and bone. Standard contrast agents (e.g., gadolinium) are sometimes used to help make the scan images brighter, or easier to see. Hyperpolarized carbon-13 pyruvate is an experimental contrast agent that is different from standard MRI contrast in that it provides information on how a tumor processes nutrients. Hyperpolarized carbon-13 pyruvate MRI scans may work better than MRI with standard contrast agents in predicting how PDA tumors respond to treatment.

Pancreatic cysts are found incidentally on 15-50% of CT and MRIs for all indications and their prevalence is increasing. Many of these cysts may be precursors to pancreatic cancer, and thus pose a substantial risk, however, the vast majority are benign. Increased detection of pancreatic cysts provides an opportunity to diagnose pancreatic malignancy at an early, curable stage yet also increases the potential to over-treat clinically insignificant lesions. This presents a clinical challenge to prevent unnecessary resection of indolent disease, with associated risks of infections, bleeding, diabetes, and costly disability. Unfortunately, there is little information on the epidemiology and natural history of pancreatic cysts to help guide management.