Paclitaxel Protein Bound Plus Cisplatin Plus Gemcitabine and Paricalcitol for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma (NABPLAGEMD) (NABPLAGEMD)

A Phase II Pilot Trial Of Paclitaxel Protein Bound Plus Cisplatin Plus Gemcitabine and the Addition Of Paricalcitol Upon Disease Progression in Patients With Previously Untreated Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (NABPLAGEMD)

The purpose of this study is to determine if the combination of paclitaxel protein bound, gemcitabine, cisplatin, paricalcitol are effective in individuals with previously untreated metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Adenocarcinoma; Pancreatic Cancer; Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma; Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma; Pancreas Metastases
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Paricalcitol (Zemplar)

Detailed Description

Pancreatic cancer continues to be a highly lethal disease with an overall 5 year survival of only 8%. Since 2004, the incidence of pancreatic cancer has been increasing by 1.5% per year and it is estimated that there will be 53,670 new cases diagnosed in the United States in 2017, with 43,090 expected deaths. Pancreatic cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women, and the incidence is about equal in both sexes. Of all types of pancreatic cancers, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is by far the most common, representing 80% of cases. Due to lack of adequate screening techniques, greater than 80% of patients at the time of diagnosis present with unresectable, advanced disease. Standard treatment options for inoperable patients with locally advanced and metastatic PDA have been quite limited. Gemcitabine monotherapy, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996, demonstrated a median survival of 5.7 months, and has been the mainstay in treating patients with PDA. The first combination regimen to demonstrate any survival benefit compared with gemcitabine alone was gemcitabine plus erlotinib, with median survival of 6.24 months versus 5.91 months for single agent gemcitabine.

A meta-analysis of randomized trials by Heinemann and colleagues showed that patients with advanced pancreatic cancer and a good performance status may benefit from combination chemotherapy with gemcitabine plus a platinum agent or a fluoropyrimidine. Multiple combination regimens are being utilized.

Recently, the regimen of 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin/irinotecan/oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX) compared with gemcitabine demonstrated improvement in both progression-free survival (PFS, 6.4 vs. 3.3 months) and overall survival (OS, 11.1 vs. 6.8 months) for patients with a good performance status. FOLFIRINOX, however, is associated with substantial grade 3 and 4 toxicities, including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, neutropenia and febrile neutropenia, and cannot be given to patients >76 years of age or in some cases patients with head of the pancreas tumors. An international phase III trial comparing paclitaxel protein bound (now called paclitaxel protein bound) plus gemcitabine to gemcitabine single agent demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in OS (8.5 vs. 6.7 months) for advanced pancreatic cancer patients using the gemcitabine and paclitaxel protein bound over gemcitabine alone.

A recently completed phase Ib/II trial of the combination of paclitaxel protein bound plus gemcitabine plus cisplatin in previously untreated stage IV pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients was presented at the 2017 Gastrointestinal Cancer Symposium. In 24 patients with stage IV pancreatic cancer they reported 8.3% complete response (CR), 62.5% partial response (PR), 16.7% stable disease and 12.5% progressive disease. The rationale for adding cisplatin to paclitaxel protein bound and gemcitabine is that in a study of 1,029 patients whose pancreatic cancer tumors underwent molecular profiling, 57% of these tumors were negative for expression of the excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1), indicating sensitivity to a platinum anti-tumor agent. In addition to the above, in our whole genome/transcriptome sequencing analysis, we found that abnormal repair pathways were a feature of all of the pancreatic cancers that were sequenced. Cisplatin prevents cellular deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) repair by binding to and causing crosslinking of DNA, triggering apoptosis. Cisplatin has been used in other combination regimens to treat patients with PDA. For example, the cisplatin, epirubicin, 5-fluorouracil and gemcitabine (PEFG) regimen had an acceptable toxicity profile and was associated with a 24% partial response rate, 5 month PFS and 8.3 month OS as second line therapy.

Most recently, a study showed that Vitamin D can change the pancreatic tumor microenvironment from an immunologically suppressive (tumor promoting) one to an immunologically hostile one (e.g. decreased IL-6, decreased CXCL12 etc.). In addition, in the same study, the vitamin D ligand calcipotriol decreased production of collagen, decreased myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and decreased regulatory T cells. Remarkably, in clinical practice, the vitamin D analogue paricalcitol was observed to reverse chemotherapy resistance. Two individuals with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who were receiving paclitaxel protein bound and gemcitabine based combination chemotherapy developed progressive disease which was reversed by the addition of paricalcitol.

Based upon these promising clinical and pre-clinical data we are initiating a clinical trial combining paclitaxel protein bound, gemcitabine, and cisplatin for patients with metastatic PDA. When these patients develop progressive disease the vitamin D analog paricalcitol will be added to the regimen. The treatment will continue until further disease progression.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 34
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arizona
    • Scottsdale, Arizona, United States, 85258
      • Honorhealth Research Institute

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age ≥18 years of age; male or female.
2. Histologically or cytologically confirmed metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
3. Capable of providing informed consent and complying with trial procedures including obtaining paired biopsies during therapy
4. Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) of ≥ 70%.
5. Life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks.
6. Measurable tumor lesions according to RECIST 1.1 criteria.
7. Women must agree not to become pregnant (e.g. post-menopausal for at least 1 year, surgically sterile, or practicing adequate birth control methods) for the duration of the study and until 90 days after last dose of study treatment. Women of child bearing potential must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test at the Screening Visit and be non-lactating. Both male and female patients of reproductive potential must agree to use a reliable method of birth control during the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patients must have received no previous radiotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy or investigational therapy for the treatment of metastatic disease. Prior treatments in the adjuvant setting with gemcitabine and/or Fluorouracil (5-FU) or gemcitabine administered as a radiation sensitizer are allowed, provided at least 6 months have elapsed since completion of the last dose and no lingering toxicities are present.
2. Palliative surgery and/or radiation treatment less than 4 weeks prior to initiation of study treatment.
3. Exposure to any investigational agent within 4 weeks prior to initiation of study treatment.
4. Evidence of central nervous system (CNS) metastasis (negative imaging study, if clinically indicated, within 4 weeks of Screening Visit).
5. History of other malignancies (except cured basal or squamous cell carcinoma, superficial bladder cancer, prostate cancer in active surveillance, or carcinoma in situ of the cervix) unless documented free of cancer for ≥2 years.
6. Laboratory values: Screening serum creatinine >1.5 mg/dL; total bilirubin > (ULN); alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≥ 2.5x ULN or ≥ 5.0×ULN if liver metastases are present; absolute neutrophil count <1,500/mm3, platelet concentration <100,000/mm3, hematocrit level <27% for females or <30% for males, or coagulation tests (prothrombin time [PT], partial thromboplastin time [PTT], International Normalized Ratio [INR]) >1.5×ULN unless on anticoagulation agents.
7. Current, serious, clinically significant cardiac arrhythmias as determined by the investigator.
8. History of HIV infection.
9. Active, clinically significant serious infection requiring treatment with antibiotics, antivirals or anti-fungals.
10. Any condition that might interfere with the patient's participation in the study or in the evaluation of the study results.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Paricalcitol (Zemplar); Participants will be treated with the regimen according to the study protocol. Participants will complete 3 cycles (cycle is 21 days) and then will be evaluated for CA19-9 normalization and undergo imaging to determine response, if any.	Drug: Paricalcitol (Zemplar); combination therapy; Other Names: Cisplatin (Platinol); Gemcitabine (Gemzar); Paclitaxel Protein Bound (Abraxane)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Best Overall Response (BOR)	Best overall response (BOR) is defined as the best tumor response recorded 9 weeks after treatment initiation Per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.1). Responses are categorized as: complete response (CR), disappearance of all target lesions; partial response (PR), ≥30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; stable disease (SD), no change in target lesion size; and progressive disease (PD), ≥20% increase in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions, a measurable increase in a non-target lesion, or the appearance of new lesions. MRI completed every 3 cycles of treatment to determine if the tumor responded to treatment. A confirmatory positron emission tomography (PET) scan could be ordered to confirm CR.	From enrollment until the end of 3+ treatment cycles (each cycle is 21 days), up to 190 days.
Progression-free Survival (PFS)	Progression-free survival (PFS) is defined as the time from starting paricalcitol until disease progression. Progression is defined using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.1), as a ≥20% increase in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions, a measurable increase in a non-target lesion, or the appearance of new lesions.	From start of paricalcitol to disease progression, up to 7 months
Overall Survival (OS)	Overall survival (OS) is defined as the length of time that patients remained alive after starting paricalcitol treatment.	From start of paricalcitol through follow-up, up to 16.5 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Serum Levels of Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 (CA19-9)	Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) is a validated serum biomarker for pancreatic cancer tumor burden used to monitor treatment response. Serum CA19-9 values were measured after each cycle of treatment to identify if they normalized over time. The median beta coefficient (slope of the regression line) among CA 19-9 expressing participants in a linear mixed effects model of log-transformed CA 19-9 is reported here. A positive beta coefficient is associated with increasing CA 19-9 levels over time (higher tumor burden; no treatment response), while a negative beta coefficient is associated with decreasing CA 19-9 levels over time (lower tumor burden; treatment response).	At the end of each treatment cycle (each cycle is 21 days), up to 30 weeks.
Adverse Events Possibly Related to Paricalcitol	The number of patients who experienced an adverse event (AE) determined to be possibly related to the study treatment of paricalcitol. Adverse events occurring were graded according to the NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v4.0 (CTCAE). Grade refers to the severity of the AE and are given on a 1-5 scale, with each scale having unique clinical descriptions of severity for each AE based on this general guideline: Grade 1: Mild; asymptomatic or mild symptoms; clinical or diagnostic observations only; intervention not indicated.; Grade 2: Moderate; minimal, local or noninvasive intervention indicated; Grade 3: Severe or medically significant but not immediately life-threatening; hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization indicated; disabling; Grade 4: Life-threatening consequences; urgent intervention indicated.; Grade 5: Death related to AE.	From enrollment through 30 days after last paricalcitol treatment, up to 16.5 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: HonorHealth Research Institute
• Collaborators: Mayo Clinic; University of California, San Diego; Cancer Research UK; Stand Up To Cancer; Lustgarten Foundation; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; Translational Genomics Research Institute; Princeton University; Barts Cancer Institute; Imaging Endpoints; Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Erkut Borazanci, MD, Honorhealth Research Institute

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 31, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 11, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): December 11, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 9, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 23, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): January 30, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 12, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 20, 2026
• Last Verified: December 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Endocrine System Diseases; Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Digestive System Neoplasms; Digestive System Diseases; Endocrine Gland Neoplasms; Pancreatic Diseases; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Carcinoma; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Adenocarcinoma; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Proteins; Organic Chemicals; Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring; Heterocyclic Compounds; Hydrocarbons; Cycloparaffins; Hydrocarbons, Alicyclic; Hydrocarbons, Cyclic; Terpenes; Inorganic Chemicals; Chlorine Compounds; Nitrogen Compounds; Taxoids; Cyclodecanes; Diterpenes; Deoxycytidine; Cytidine; Pyrimidine Nucleosides; Pyrimidines; Health Care Economics and Organizations; Platinum Compounds; Albumins; Paclitaxel; Economics; Albumin-Bound Paclitaxel; Gemcitabine; Cisplatin; paricalcitol; Taxes
• Other Study ID Numbers: SU2C HRI NPG-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES

IPD Plan Description

If the study site is a 'covered site' under the definitions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act (HIPAA), the Investigator will ensure that the patient consents to the use of data by HonorHealth and its designees for the purposes of regulatory submissions, study publications, and drug approval.

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) will be notified of any outputs of the research such as guidelines, publications, presentation, changes in service delivery etc. prior to external submission or presentation. In any oral or written report or poster presentation of Results or otherwise relating to the Research, the support of Cancer Research UK (CRUK), SU2C and the Lustgarten foundation will be acknowledged, displaying the relevant logs where possible. Any publications resulting from research funded in whole or in part by the Grant must be cited as required per signed confidentiality agreements.

• IPD Sharing Time Frame: To be determined

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

The Investigator and any other study personnel involved in this study shall not disclose, or use for any purposes (other than for the performance of this study), any data, records, or other information (hereinafter collectively "information") disclosed to the Investigator or other study personnel. Such information shall remain the confidential and proprietary property of HonorHealth, and shall be disclosed only to the Investigator or other designated study personnel.

The obligation of non-disclosure shall not apply to the following:

• relevant disclosure to potential study participants for the purpose of obtaining informed consent;
• information after such time that it is or becomes publicly available through no fault of the Investigator or other study personnel; and,
• information after such time that it is disclosed to the Investigator by a third party entitled to disclose such information.

• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: Yes