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Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC)Phase 2NCT03977233

Tumor Subtypes in Subjects on FOLFIRINOX With Non-Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

A Phase 2 study testing Oxaliplatin, Leucovorin and Irinotecan Hydrochloride in people with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and Cancer of Pancreas, run by UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

This is a research study to evaluate how the genetic makeup of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) can affect the response to FDA-approved chemotherapy treatment, FOLFIRINOX, given before surgery to remove the tumor. Certain types of PDAC tumors can be surgically resected (removed). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 99 years
What is being tested?
Oxaliplatin, Leucovorin and Irinotecan Hydrochloride
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
45 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
12 Jun 2019to Jan 2030
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 99 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Written informed consent obtained to participate in the study and HIPAA authorization for release of personal health information.
  • Histologically or cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the pancreas with no evidence of distant metastatic disease.
  • Subject has no evidence of co-morbidities precluding the potential to undergo surgical resection of PDAC as determined by surgical investigator.
  • Subjects must be willing to undergo a mandatory pre- and post-treatment EUS guided core biopsy of the pancreatic mass.
  • Measurable or non-measurable but evaluable (as determined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 [RECIST 1.1]) resectable, borderline resectable or unresectable locally advanced PDAC.
  • Subject has adequate performance status as defined by ECOG performance status 0 or 1.
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  • Subject has received no prior chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy for pancreatic cancer. Subjects have not previously received surgery to remove pancreatic cancer.
  • Age ≥ 18 years of age.
  • Subject has adequate organ function at study entry.
  • Subject has life expectancy of at least 6 months.

Who cannot join

  • Subject has any evidence of local recurrence or metastatic pancreatic cancer.
  • Other malignancies within the past 5 years except for adequately treated cervical or vulvar carcinoma in situ, treated basal cell carcinoma, superficial bladder tumors (Ta, Tis and T1).
  • Subject has hypersensitivity to 5FU, oxaliplatin or other platinum agent, or irinotecan or to their excipients.
  • Subject has known dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) enzyme deficiency.
  • Participation in any investigational drug study within 4 weeks preceding the start of study treatment. Subjects are not permitted to participate in another investigational drug study while being treated on this protocol. Subjects participating in other clinical trials that are receiving SOC FOLFIRINOX are permitted on study.
  • Subject has current evidence of any condition that makes participating in this study not in the best interest of the subject, including but not limited to:
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  • Myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
  • New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or IV heart disease
  • Active infection requiring IV antibiotics
  • Subject has a history of or suspected Gilbert's syndrome or known homozygosity for UGT1A1*28 polymorphism (baseline testing not required).
  • Subject has sensory peripheral neuropathy grade ≥ 2.
  • Major surgery, open biopsy or significant traumatic injury within 4 weeks of first study drug.
  • Subject is unable or unwilling to discontinue use of ketoconazole or St John's wort. Use of phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, rifampin and rifabutin is discouraged, but not contraindicated. If subjects require phenytoin, carbamazepine or phenobarbital monitoring of drug levels is suggested during the study.
  • Subject is pregnant or lactating.
  • Psychological, familial, sociological or geographical condition potentially hampering compliance with the study protocol and follow-up schedule; those conditions should be discussed with the subject before registration in the trial.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Catherine Griffin, BS, BA contact

919-966-4432

catherine_griffin@med.unc.edu

Brian Burgess, BS contact

919-966-4432

brian_burgess@med.unc.edu

United States1 site, 1 recruiting
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599

    Ashwin Somasundaram, MD, 919-966-5902, ashwin@med.unc.edu

    Ashwin Somasundaram, MD

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Impact of Tumor and Stromal Subtypes on Efficacy of Neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX in Subjects With Non-Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

This is a research study to evaluate how the genetic makeup of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) can affect the response to FDA-approved chemotherapy treatment, FOLFIRINOX, given before surgery to remove the tumor. Certain types of PDAC tumors can be surgically resected (removed). However, not all types of PDACs are resectable, especially if they are close to important structures like blood vessels or intestines. These types of PDACs are treated with chemotherapy such as FOLFIRINOX. Research studies showed that chemotherapy after surgical resection of PDAC tumors reduced the risk of the cancer returning.

Chemotherapy is used to treat PDAC that has not spread outside of the pancreas and is not resectable. FOLFIRINOX is a chemotherapy treatment that combines multiple chemotherapeutic agents, including oxaliplatin, leucovorin, irinotecan, and 5-FU. Patients receive these agents by intravenous infusion. Of these drugs, 5-FU requires you to return home with a chemotherapy pump that will deliver chemotherapy over 46 hours. This regimen has been studied in pancreatic cancer that has been removed with surgery as a method for preventing the cancer from returning. Studies showed FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy reduced the risk of cancer returning and increased patients survival. In this study, researchers want to know if FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy given before surgery will make the cancer easier to remove with surgery and increase the chances of the cancer staying away after surgery.

Read more

Researchers have shown that pancreatic cancers are not all the same when you look at the DNA and RNA that is inside a pancreatic cancer cell.

Depending on the expression of different genes in a cancer cell, some pancreatic cancers may respond differently to chemotherapy. In this study researchers want to know if FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy can change the genetic profile of the cancer. This will be studied by obtaining a biopsy of the cancer before the start of chemotherapy, and after 8 treatments of chemotherapy. They will also study cancer cells that will be collected from blood samples.

Read the detailed description

This is a single arm, phase II clinical trial designed to assess the impact of tumor and stromal molecular subtypes on the efficacy of neoadjuvant FOLFIRNOX in untreated subjects with resectable, borderline resectable and unresectable locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Subjects will undergo an EUS-guided core biopsy of the pancreas prior to treatment and after cycle 8 of FOLFIRINOX. Imaging will be performed after every 4 cycles of chemotherapy (8 weeks) and reassessed for resectability after 12 cycles. If patients show a response to treatment that is deemed by the surgical oncologist to be amenable to resection, surgery can be pursued after 8 cycles of therapy. In this case, the remaining 4 cycles of treatment will be given after surgery.

Duration of Therapy:

In the absence of treatment delays due to adverse events, treatment may continue until:

  • Disease progression,
  • Inter-current illness that prevents further administration of treatment,
  • Unacceptable adverse event(s),
  • Subject decides to withdraw from the study, or
  • General or specific changes in the subject's condition render the subject unacceptable for further treatment in the judgment of the investigator.

Duration of Follow Up:

  • Subjects will be followed for 36 months after removal from study treatment or until death, whichever occurs first. Subjects removed from study treatment for unacceptable adverse events will be followed until resolution or stabilization of the adverse event.
Keywords
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Pancreatic Cancer Non-resectable, Pancreatic Cancer Resectable, neoadjuvant FOLFIRNOX, FOLFIRINOX, Pancreatic Cancer, Adult
Medical subject headings
Pancreatic Neoplasms, Pancreatic cancer, adult

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • OxaliplatinDrug

    Also called Eloxatin

    85 mg/m2 in 250 cc Dextrose solution given by IV on Day 1 of each 14-day cycle

  • LeucovorinDrug

    Also called folinic acid

    400 mg/m2 in 100 cc dextrose solution given with irinotecan by IV on Day 1 of each 14-day cycle

  • Irinotecan HydrochlorideDrug

    Also called Camptosar

    180 mg/m2 in 500cc dextrose solution given with leucovorin by IV on Day 1 of each 14-day cycle

  • 5-FUDrug

    Also called Adrucil

    400 mg/m2 bolus and then 2400 mg/m2 via continuous infusion on Day 1 of each 14-day cycle

Study groups in NCT03977233
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
SingleArm: FOLFIRINOXExperimentalSubjects will receive FOLFIRINOX as an outpatient every 14 days per community standards of medical care. Protocol-based therapy will continue for 12 cycles (24 weeks) or until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, study withdrawal, or subject death. Subjects will have the option of surgical resection after 8 cycles of therapy if repeat scans show evidence of resectable disease. The starting doses for mFOLFIRINOX regimen are: oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2, followed by leucovorin 400 mg/m2 given simultaneously with irinotecan 180mg/m2, followed by 5FU 400 mg/m2 bolus and then 2400 mg/m2 via continuous infusion.
Receives: Drug: Oxaliplatin; Drug: Leucovorin; Drug: Irinotecan Hydrochloride; Drug: 5-FU

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Best disease control rate by Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) subtype

    To evaluate the association between PDAC tumor subtype (particularly basal-like versus classical subtype) and best disease control rate (DCR) after administration of FOLFIRINOX in subjects with non-metastatic pancreatic cancer, DCR is defined as the proportion of patients with either Complete Response (CR), partial response (PR), or stable disease (SD) as determined by RECIST 1.1, Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria. CR is defined as disappearance of all target lesions; PR as a >=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; and SD as no response or less response than Partial or Progressive.

    Measured: 6 months after start of treatment

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. Rate of resectability

    The number of patients who following treatment with FOLFIRINOX were subsequently deemed to have resectable disease and underwent surgical resection

    Measured: 6 months after the start of treatment

  2. Overall survival

    median overall survival (OS) of all patients receiving FOLFIRINOX on study as well as in 1) resectable, 2) borderline resectable and 3) unresectable PDAC, measured from the start of treatment until death from any cause.

    Measured: 3 years

  3. Progression free survival

    Median time from start of treatment until death or progression as defined by RECIST 1.1 Criteria, for all patients and with respect to each tumor and stroma subtype. Progressive Disease (PD), is defined as a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions, or a measurable increase in a non-target lesion, or the appearance of new lesions.

    Measured: 3 years

  4. best objective response rate (ORR; complete response (CR) + partial response (PR))

    Estimation of the best ORR for all patients and with respect to each tumor and stroma subtype. ORR is defined as the proportion of patients with either Complete Response (CR) or partial response (PR) as determined by RECIST 1.1, Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria. CR is defined as disappearance of all target lesions; PR as a >=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions;

    Measured: 6 months from start of study treatment

  5. rate of drug-related grade 3 to 5 adverse events

    rate of drug-related grade 3 to 5 adverse events, assessed based upon patient reported toxicity as measured by the NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v5.0). The CTCAE is a descriptive terminology which can be utilized for Adverse Event (AE) reporting. A grading (severity) scale is provided for each AE term. Grade 1 Mild; asymptomatic or mild symptoms; clinical or diagnostic observations only; intervention not indicated. Grade 2 Moderate; minimal, local or noninvasive intervention indicated; limiting age-appropriate instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Grade 3 Severe or medically significant but not immediately life-threatening; hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization indicated; disabling; limiting self care ADL. Grade 4 Life-threatening consequences; urgent intervention indicated. Grade 5 Death related to AE.

    Measured: 6 months from the start of treatment

  6. R0 resection rate

    The number of patients who underwent surgical resection and whose surgical specimens had a microscopically margin-negative resection (R0).

    Measured: 6 months from start of treatment

  7. proportion of patients whose tumor/stroma subtype changes after treatment with FOLFIRINOX

    The proportion of patients whose tumor/stroma subtype changed from baseline after treatment with FOLFIRINOX. This will be calculated separately for tumor and stroma.

    Measured: 6 months from start of treatment

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted6 Jun 2019
  2. Study start12 Jun 2019
  3. Primary completionJul 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completionJan 2030 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
45 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03977233
Sponsor's protocol ID
LCCC1843
Status last verified
Jan 2026
First submitted
4 Jun 2019
Last updated
13 Jan 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Oxaliplatin, Leucovorin and Irinotecan Hydrochloride in people with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and Cancer of Pancreas, run by UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 10 inclusion and 15 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Catherine Griffin, BS, BA (919-966-4432, catherine_griffin@med.unc.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Best disease control rate by Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) subtype (time frame: 6 months after start of treatment). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Jan 2026.

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