View clinical trials related to Pancreatic Cancer.
Filter by:RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Metformin hydrochloride may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known if combination chemotherapy is more effective with or without metformin hydrochloride in treating patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying giving cisplatin, epirubicin hydrochloride, capecitabine, and gemcitabine hydrochloride together with metformin hydrochloride to see how well it works compared to cisplatin, epirubicin hydrochloride, capecitabine, and gemcitabine hydrochloride alone in treating patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate optimal dose and safety of the combination of Abraxane, gemcitabine, and Xeloda (capecitabine) (AGX) as first-line therapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Specific Aims and Hypotheses: Aim 1: To test the effect of the "Trial of Ascertaining Individual preferences for Loved Ones' Role in End-of-life Decisions" (TAILORED) Intervention on family decision-making self-efficacy at 8 weeks both with respect to the patient's present situation and in a hypothetical situation in which the patient lacks decision-making capacity. Hypotheses 1a: Family decision-making self-efficacy will be greater at 8 weeks in pairs that have undergone the TAILORED Intervention than in pairs receiving the standard information on advance directives in the patient's present situation. Hypotheses 1b: Family decision-making self-efficacy will be greater at 8 weeks in pairs that have undergone the TAILORED Intervention than in pairs receiving the standard information on advance directives in the hypothetical situation in which the patient lacks decision making capacity. Aim 2: To test the effect of the TAILORED Intervention on family psychological outcomes (depression, caregiver burden, decision making distress). Hypotheses 2a: Depression will be less at 8 weeks in family members who have undergone the TAILORED Intervention than in family members who have received the standard information on advance directives. Hypotheses 2b: Caregiver burden will be less at 8 weeks in family members who have undergone the TAILORED Intervention than in family members who have received the standard information on advance directives. Hypotheses 2c: Decision-making distress will be less at 8 weeks in family members who have undergone the TAILORED Intervention than in family members who have received the standard information on advance directives. Aim 3: To test the effect of the TAILORED Intervention on patient and family satisfaction with family decision-making involvement. Hypothesis 3a: Patient satisfaction with family decision involvement will be greater at 8 weeks in patients who have undergone the TAILORED Intervention than in patients receiving the standard information on advance directives. Hypothesis 3b: Family member satisfaction with decision involvement will be greater at 8 weeks in family members who have undergone the TAILORED Intervention than in family members receiving the standard information on advance directives. Aim 4: To explore family decision-making self-efficacy and perceptions of the TAILORED Intervention.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine hydrochloride, cisplatin, epirubicin hydrochloride, and capecitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving gemcitabine hydrochloride, with or without cisplatin, epirubicin hydrochloride, and capecitabine before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Giving these drugs after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II/III trial is studying how well gemcitabine hydrochloride, with or without cisplatin, epirubicin hydrochloride, and capecitabine, works when given before and/or after surgery in treating patients with stage I or stage II pancreatic cancer that can be removed by surgery.
This multi-institutional trial aims to evaluate the potential benefit and side effects of adding fractionated stereotactic body radiotherapy/surgery (SBRT) before and after chemotherapy with gemcitabine for locally advanced pancreatic cancer.
High doses of gabapentin are associated with pancreatic acinar cell tumors in rats, but there has been no post marketing pancreatic carcinogenicity signal with gabapentin as reported by spontaneous reports in the Adverse Events Reporting System or in the published literature. In a published case-control screening study of the association of gabapentin with 55 cancers, the only cancer that met the screening criteria for possibly increased cancer risk with gabapentin exposure was renal (including renal pelvis) cancer. This association was judged to be likely due to or substantially accentuated by confounding by cigarette smoking, hypertension, and lifestyle (Cancer Causes Control 2009;20:1821-1835). The primary objective of this study is to determine whether exposure to gabapentin is associated with an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer or renal cancer in the United Kingdom (UK) General Practice Research Database (GPRD). Almost all members of the UK population are registered with a General Practice, which centralizes the medical information not only from the general practitioners themselves but also from specialist referrals and hospital attendances. Over 487 General Practices contribute data to the GPRD. The study cohort from which cases and controls are drawn is all subjects in the GPRD 1993-2008. Gabapentin was approved in the UK in May 1993. Entry into the study cohort begins Jan 1, 1993 for all those who are registered in GPRD before that time, and at the time of registration if later than Jan 1, 1993. Patients with a first diagnosis of the respective cancer 1995-2008 are risk set matched with up to 10 controls within the same General Practice for age at cohort entry (within two years), sex, and year of entry into the study cohort (within one year). For cases, the index date is the date of first diagnosis of the respective cancer. The index date for controls is set as the date at which the follow-up time from cohort entry is the same as the case. The index date is chosen so as to give the control equal follow-up time to that of the case for ascertainment of use of gabapentin. Cases and controls will be required to have at least 2 years of follow-up in the study cohort before their index date. Data on gabapentin prescriptions are obtained for cases and controls from study cohort entry to the index date. Crude and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) will be produced from conditional logistic regression models, with additional analyses evaluating for latency and dose-response. For pancreatic cancer, covariates are smoking, body mass index, diabetes, epilepsy, neuropathic pain, and chronic pancreatitis. For renal cancer, covariates are smoking, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, diuretic use, epilepsy, and neuropathic pain.
We hope to determine the importance of different genes (including B receptors) in anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy. This has important benefits to patients exposed to anthracyclines, as this could help determine whether certain individuals have increased susceptibility to cardiac injury.
This study is being done to develop a new method that can rapidly stage patients with gastric and pancreas cancer. Staging means finding out what is the extent of the cancer in a patient's body. Currently before patients have the surgery to remove their cancer, a surgical exam is done in the operating room to see if their cancer has spread. A thin tube-like instrument with lens and a light is placed into the abdomen. This is done by making small cuts into the body. This exam is called a diagnostic laparoscopy. If cancer spread is not seen, fluid is put into the abdomen and then taken out. This is called "lavage" or washing. The fluid is then looked at in a laboratory. If the fluid contains cancer cells surgery is often delayed. The investigators are testing a new method to put the fluid into the abdomen. It is called percutaneous lavage. Percutaneous means "through the skin". A needle is put through the skin into the abdomen. Tubing is then placed over the needle so that fluid can be put into the abdomen and then taken out. The fluid is then looked at in a laboratory. The investigators want to see if the two methods are equal because if they are equal, in the future, patients may be able to have this procedure done outside of the operating room.
In this study, a new chemotherapeutic agent, panitumumab, will be tested in combination with another chemotherapeutic drug, capecitabine, along with external radiotherapy, to find out whether this combination is effective and safe to use before surgery.
Pancreatic cancer often spreads through local invasion into local structures, including fat, blood vessels, nerves, and nearby organs (stomach, duodenum, spleen, bile duct). Local microscopic invasion is associated with recurrence of pancreatic cancer after pancreatic resection, such that even if the original cancer is surgically removed, microscopic areas of cancer often remain. Data on the patterns of local invasion by pancreatic cancer have not been published. In this study, The investigators hope to investigate the frequency of the various methods of local invasion of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This would help the investigators better understand how pancreatic cancer spreads, and determine what cancers are not resectable.