Clinical Research Directory

Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosolized Chemotherapy (PIPAC) in Patients With Peritoneal Metastasis From Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Palliative systemic therapy is the standard treatment option for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and peritoneal metastasis (PM), who have a median overall survival of only 6-11 months and a serious adverse event (SAE) rate of \>5%. Patients with peritoneal-only metastasis may demonstrate unique tumor biology with less potential for hematogenous and lymphatic spread, making them potential candidates for a regional approach directed at the peritoneum. PIPAC is a drug- delivery system that combines the pharmacokinetic advantages of low- dose intraperitoneal chemotherapy (high tumor tissue penetration with low systemic absorption/toxicity) with the principles of aerosolization (homogenous intraperitoneal distribution and deeper tissue penetration). PIPAC may offer a complimentary approach to maximize drug delivery to tumor implants, potentially improving quality of life and survival without significant additional morbidity. Several non-randomized studies have evaluated safety, feasibility, and efficacy of PIPAC with various intraperitoneal agents in a variety of tumor types. Very few patients with pancreatic cancer PM have been included in these studies and most have been treated with either PIPAC-oxaliplatin or doxorubicin/cisplatin. A recent phase 1 dose-escalation study included patients with ovarian, gastric, breast, and hepatopancreatobiliary malignancies. One patient with pancreatic cancer was included in this study. The recommended phase 2 dose was 140 mg/m2, with guidance to decrease the dose to 112.5 mg/m2 in patients with hepatic impairment. Therefore, the dose utilized in this study is 112.5 mg/m2. This recommendation was based on concern for nab-paclitaxel hepatotoxicity, but there was no data presented to support this expert recommendation. This study sets out to explore the role of PIPAC with nab-paclitaxel in combination with medical oncology choice standard of care therapy in this patient population.

FAPi PET in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma commonly referred to as pancreatic cancer is a cancer which is known to involve the pancreas and the surrounding structures like blood vessels, which makes it an aggressive cancer. Treatment of the cancer is decided by how much the disease has spread. It has been understood from recent studies that there are some components of the tumor which are not detected by standard CT scan. The tissue in the tumor microenvironment leads to further spread of tumor. The tissue which is seen near the tumor has many attachments on the surface which are currently being studied. One of the most common attachments is Fibroblast activation protein (FAP), which is seen on the surface of tumor tissue. A radioactive tracer Gallium-68 is attached to a small protein known as 'peptide' named 'FAP inhibitor (FAPi)' which shall bind to FAP. Then a PET scan will be performed which shall help in understanding how much of the tissue is seen on the scan in addition to the pancreatic tumor. The investigators shall assess whether the radiotracer (Gallium-68 labeled FAPi) binds to other sites like liver or other organs where the cancer is likely to spread. From the study, the investigators shall study whether the new scanning technique is beneficial as compared to the standard CT scanning. Hence, the investigators would perform Gallium-68-labeled FAPi PET scan in addition to the standard CT scan and compare the results.