View clinical trials related to Pancreas Cancer.
Filter by:This study is for patients with pancreatic cancer that has grown and/or spread after having previously received the standard chemotherapy drug called gemcitabine. In this study a drug called pemetrexed is being tested. This drug is approved by the FDA for use in lung cancer and mesothelioma. The purpose of this study is to see if pemetrexed keeps pancreas cancer that has grown and/or spread after gemcitabine from growing. Subjects will receive pemetrexed IV once every 21 days until disease progression or unacceptable side effects occur.
Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD or Whipple procedure) involves the removal of the head of the pancreas and is the primary modality for treatment of peri-ampullary cancers (arising from the common bile duct, Ampulla of Vater, duodenum, neuroendocrine cells of the pancreas, and most commonly the exocrine pancreas). In Canada, cancer of the pancreas is the 11th cancer in terms of new cases/year, and the 5th leading cause of cancer related deaths/year. Following PD the remaining pancreas is re-connected to a portion of the gastrointestinal tract; the pancreas is very soft and difficult to sew and connect safely. The primary cause of complications following PD is related to leak occurring at this connection. Of patients that develop a leak, over half need a second operation, and up to 40% will die. The two main organs that the pancreas may be re-connected to are the jejunum or the stomach. The investigators will compare the rates of pancreatic leakage in two groups of patients randomized to reconnection to either the jejunum or stomach following PD. The goal of this study is to determine which of these methods is safer. The results may change practice patterns across North America and the world. It may in the future prevent many cases of avoidable leakage and the resulting morbidity of this including death. This will therefore reduce the morbidity and mortality of this group of cancer patients.
Pancreaticoduodenectomy is associated with a high incidence of postoperative complications. These postoperative complications could delay postoperative resumption of adequate oral intake. Clinical study on postoperative feeding after pancreaticoduodenectomy is very limited. Method of Nutritional support (Enteral feeding or total parenteral support)after pancreaticoduodenectomy is controversial. 1. To evaluate whether early enteral nutrition may be a suitable alternative to total parenteral nutrition 2. To evaluate whether enteral feeding improve nutritional status after pancreaticoduodenectomy
Pancreas cancer and precancerous cysts can be difficult to diagnose. Sometimes biopsies do not show cancer when cancer is actually present. We hypothesize that genetic differences exist in tissue that is malignant compared to nonmalignant. When patients present with a pancreas mass or cyst, we biopsy it by fine-needle aspiration during upper endoscopy with ultrasound guidance. We would like to use tissue obtained via endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration to perform DNA microarray analysis, and compare the differences in gene expression level in the benign tissue compared to cancerous tissue in order to improve our diagnostic capabilities. DNA microarray measures gene expression level rather than germline mutations. The true diagnosis will be based on cytology, surgical pathology, or clinical followup. The performance of the microarray test as a diagnostic test will be compared to the performance of cytology.
Cancer is a well known risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE) such as deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Today we know that patients with adenocarcinomas of the gastro intestinal tract (GI-tract) often is in a hypercoagulable state. In our observational study we collect patients admitted to department with a tentative diagnosis of upper GI cancer including pancreas cancer and offer them flow doppler ultrasounds of both legs for diagnosis of DVT in the entire treatment time. The routine CT-scan of the chest is modified to diagnose PE. This will be compared with blood samples analysed for coagulation markers including D-dimer - a fibrinogen degradation product.
This is a phase II, multi-center, open-label, single-arm clinical trial to be conducted in the United States. In approximately 55 centers, approximately 75 eligible locally advanced unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer subjects will be enrolled to receive first-line therapy of gemcitabine and panitumumab.
Randomized study comparing the effect of plastic stents to that of expandable metal stents as pre-operative drainage of the bile ducts prior to Whipple operation.
Randomized study assessing the effect of transpapillary pancreas duct stent in resection of the pancreatic tail.
The GI-4000 therapeutic vaccine or placebo will be injected under the skin of post-resection, non-metastatic pancreas cancer patients. Patients will be monitored for recurrence as well as safety, and immune responses related to the injections.
To prospectively collect serum and DNA samples from subjects with pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis, liver disease, and from healthy and at-risk volunteers in order to identify novel biomarkers for early diagnosis, differential diagnosis, stage, natural history of the disease, response to treatment, and to identify novel targets for therapeutic interventions. In particular: