Pancreatic Cancer

The developer of evofosfamide announced that two phase III trials of the agent in advanced soft-tissue sarcoma and in advanced pancreatic cancer did not meet their primary endpoints.

A retrospective cohort study showed that socioeconomic variables including race, marital status, insurance status, and geography are associated with rates of resection for early-stage pancreatic cancer. Most of these factors, however, were not associated with survival following resection.

This article reviews the current treatment paradigms for metastatic disease, focusing on ways to ameliorate symptoms and lengthen survival. We then summarize recent advances in our understanding of the molecular and cellular aspects of pancreatic cancer.

The ultimate benefit to patients will come from a demonstration of clinically worthwhile benefits of new drugs that have been tested in well-designed and adequately powered clinical trials performed in an expedited fashion.

The FDA has approved the combination of irinotecan liposome injection plus 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer in patients who previously progressed on gemcitabine-based chemotherapy.

Five randomized trials involving patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer illustrate most clearly the substantial degree to which standard therapies are limited in their effectiveness.

The FDA has granted a priority review for MM-398 as a second-line treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer after the drug demonstrated improved survival.

Researchers have discovered a protein encoded by the GPC1 gene present on cancer exomes that may be used as a diagnostic tool to detect early pancreatic cancer.

Patients with treatment-naive metastatic pancreatic cancer assigned to treatment with gemcitabine plus rigosertib did not have any improvement in tumor response or survival compared with treatment with gemcitabine alone.

The presence of an abdominal blood clot may be a sign of cancer and may also be associated with poor survival for patients with pancreatic or liver cancers.

Metformin, a common drug for type II diabetes, did not improve the survival of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

An MRI screening program for individuals at high risk for pancreatic cancer may be effective, according to the results of a short-term study.

The US Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation to tarextumab for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and small-cell lung cancer.

Combining MM-398 with 5-FU/leucovorin chemotherapy in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients resulted in improved survival compared with 5-FU/leucovorin alone.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved lanreotide for the treatment of patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Pancreatic cancer patients with long-standing diabetes have poorer survival than those without diabetes, according to an analysis of a pair of studies.

In patients with advanced, unresectable NETs, there are several treatment options; which of these may be considered depends on the site of origin of the tumor.

Survivors of multiple myeloma and pancreatic cancer may have some of the poorest physical health-related quality of life outcomes, according to a new study.

About 9% of pancreatic cancer cases appear to be familial, and the risk of cancer in relatives of these patients does not appear limited to the pancreas.

In a recent study, researchers found that certain amino acids in the blood were associated with a twofold increased risk of a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare disease, with an annual incidence rate ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 cases per million individuals.

A new study provides evidence that a daily aspirin may reduce the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

The JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib may improve overall survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer characterized by an elevated CRP, a well-established marker of inflammation.

A blood-based test of four biomarkers including CA 19-9 may help clinicians diagnose pancreatic cancer at an earlier stage.

A phase III trial found that MM-398 in combination with other drugs increases overall survival in pre-treated patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Proteomic cyst fluid mucin profiling may serve as an accurate diagnostic tool for the identification of pancreatic cancer precursor lesions, according to the results of a recently published study.

Using two new diagnostic panels based on microRNA in whole blood, researchers were able to distinguish patients with pancreatic cancer from healthy control patients.

The combination of two anticancer vaccines demonstrated improved survival compared to a single vaccine in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, a particularly difficult to treat tumor type with few therapy options.

Completion of 6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy, rather than time of initiation, was an independent prognostic factor after resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, according to results taken from the phase III European Study Group for Pancreatic Cancer-3.

After 2 decades of disappointing phase III trials and years of single-agent gemcitabine therapy, the pancreatic cancer community is relieved to expand the front-line armamentarium in patients with mPAC. Here we evaluate the current landscape and ask some provocative questions about response rate, dosing, and predictive markers.