PEFG (cisplatin, epirubicin, 5-fluorouracil, gemcitabine) regimen as second-line therapy in patients with progressive or recurrent pancreatic cancer after gemcitabine-containing chemotherapy. Am J Clin Oncol. 2008;31:145-150. [PMID: 18391598 DOI: 10.1097/coc.0b013e31814688f7]

Real-world outcomes of cisplatin, capecitabine, and gemcitabine with either epirubicin (PEXG) or docetaxel (PDXG) as first-line palliative treatment in metastatic or unresectable locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

First-line palliative chemotherapy regimens in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma include triplet chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan, and the doublet of nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine. Use of triplet chemotherapy in real-world populations is limited by tolerability and nab-paclitaxel is not universally available. Regimens using the combination of cisplatin, capecitabine, gemcitabine, and either epirubicin or docetaxel may be better tolerated, more widely available, and similarly effective, but no published real-world data exist.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort review of patients with metastatic or unresectable locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with first-line palliative cisplatin, capecitabine, gemcitabine, and either epirubicin or docetaxel chemotherapy at Auckland City Hospital between July 1, 2013 and July 30, 2020. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Secondary outcomes were rates of grade 3 or 4 hematological toxicity, rate of febrile neutropenia, number of cycles received, and reasons for discontinuation.

RESULTS

Eighty-eight patients were included. Median age was 66 years (range 39-79), 28.4% had unresectable, locally advanced disease and 71.6% metastatic disease. Median OS was 8.5 months. Patients stopped treatment due to disease progression (53.4%), completing 12 cycles (19.3%), or toxicity (10.2%). Grade 4 neutropenia was experienced by 21.6%; 10.2% had febrile neutropenia. There were four treatment-related deaths.

CONCLUSION

This retrospective study in a real-world population demonstrates that chemotherapy with cisplatin, capecitabine, and gemcitabine with epirubicin (PEXG) or docetaxel (PDXG) had similar effectiveness to more commonly used combination regimens. PDXG/PEXG are viable alternatives to nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine in countries that have restricted drug funding.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: metastatic disease

The treatment of choice of metastatic PADC is systemic chemotherapy. In the last decade, there have been significant advances in this area. New combination poli-chemotherapy schemes have shown a significant increase in overall survival and progression-free survival without impairing quality of life. In addition, the value of second-line chemotherapy treatment has consolidated and a new concept called "therapeutic sequencing" has also emerged. The aim of this article is to review the different therapeutic options in metastatic PDAC based on patient's characteristics.

Use of gemcitabine as a second-line treatment following chemotherapy with folfirinox for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma

There is a lack of prospective data about second-line treatments for metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients. This is partially due to recent changes in first-line chemotherapy treatments. Despite this dearth of information, 50.0% of the patients who experience failure with first-line folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan and oxaliplatin (folfirinox) treatment are eligible for additional chemotherapy. In this setting, gemcitabine is widely used without any standard recommendations available. The present study evaluated 42 patients who received gemcitabine subsequent to a first-line treatment of folfirinox between January 2008 and December 2012 at the Centre Léon Bérard (Lyon, France). Clinical data, biological data and tumor characteristics were retrospectively analyzed to identify prognostic factors for successful treatment with gemcitabine. In total, 11 patients (26.2%) experienced control of their cancer with gemcitabine treatment. However, there was no predictive marker for their response to the drug. The median overall survival was 3.6 months from gemcitabine initiation [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.1-5.1]. The median length of gemcitabine treatment was 1.5 months (95% CI, 0.3-13.3). Among the 11 patients who were successfully treated with gemcitabine, 6 were resistant to first-line folfirinox treatment. Patients who were non responsive to folfirinox had a higher probability of success with gemcitabine compared with patients that responded to folfirinox (54.5 vs. 21.4%, respectively; P=0.061). The present study did not identify any clinical or biological marker with a predictive value for successful gemcitabine treatment. Furthermore, successful gemcitabine treatment was not correlated with patients' response to first-line folfirinox treatment. This suggests an absence of cross-resistance in the chemotherapy protocols and provides evidence for effective cancer treatment with the second-line gemcitabine therapy.

Second-line chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer: Which is the best option?

Despite recent biological insight and therapeutic advances, the prognosis of advanced pancreatic cancer still remains poor. For more than 15 years, gemcitabine monotherapy has been the cornerstone of first-line treatment. Recently, prospective randomized trials have shown that novel upfront combination regimens tested in prospective randomized trials have resulted in improved patients' outcome increasing the proportion of putative candidate to second-line therapy. There is no definite standard of care after disease progression. A novel formulation in which irinotecan is encapsulated into liposomal-based nanoparticles may increase the efficacy of the drug without incrementing its toxicity. NAPOLI-1 was the first randomized trial to compare nanoliposomal irinotecan and fluorouracil-leucovorin (5-FU/LV) to 5-FU/LV alone after a gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. This review focuses on the current data for the management of second-line treatment for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, presents the most interesting ongoing clinical trials and illustrates the biologically-driven future options beyond disease progression.

Phase II trial of salvage therapy with trabectedin in metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma

PURPOSE

No standard salvage chemotherapy has been identified for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPA), and there is an urgent need for active agents against this disease. This phase II trial explored the activity of trabectedin in mPA progressing after gemcitabine-based first-line chemotherapy.

METHODS

Patients with gemcitabine-resistant disease received trabectedin 1.3 mg/m(2) as a 3-h intravenous continuous infusion every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity or for a maximum of 6 months. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival rate at 6 months (PFS-6). Since trabectedin modulates the production of selected inflammatory mediators, this study also aimed to identify inflammatory biomarkers predictive for response to trabectedin.

RESULTS

Between February 2011 and February 2012, 25 patients received trabectedin. PFS-6 was 4%, median PFS 1.9 months (range 0.8-7.4), and median overall survival 5.2 months (range 1.1-24.3). Grade >2 toxicity consisted of neutropenia in 44% of patients, febrile neutropenia and thrombocytopenia both in 12%, anemia in 8%, fatigue in 12%, and AST and ALT increase in 8 and 4%, respectively. Trabectedin was shown to modulate the production of inflammatory mediators, and at disease progression, levels of a subgroup of cytokines/chemokines were modified. Furthermore, tissue analysis identified 30 genes associated with better prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Although it has shown some ability to modulate inflammatory process, single-agent trabectedin had no activity as salvage therapy for mPA.

Recent advances for the treatment of pancreatic and biliary tract cancer after first-line treatment failure

Here, we evaluate clinical trials on chemotherapy for patients with pancreatic or biliary tract cancer after first-line treatment failure. Clinical trials on conventional and innovative medical treatments for progressive pancreatic and biliary cancer were analyzed. Metronomic chemotherapy, which consists of the administration of continuative low-dose of anticancer drugs, was also considered. A significant extension of overall survival was achieved with second-line, regimens in patients with gemcitabine-refractory pancreatic cancer. Moreover, many Phase II studies, including chemotherapy and target molecules and immunotherapy, have reported promising results, in both pancreatic and biliary cancer. However, data in these patients' setting are very heterogeneous, and only few randomized studies are available.

Histamine regulation of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer: a review of recent findings

The pancreas is a dynamic organ that performs a multitude of functions within the body. Diseases that target the pancreas, like pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, are devastating and often fatal to the suffering patient. Histamine and histamine receptors (H1-H4HRs) have been found to play a critical role in biliary diseases. Accordingly, the biliary tract and the pancreas share similarities with regards to morphological, phenotypical and functional features and disease progression, studies related the role of H1-H4HRs in pancreatic diseases are important. In this review, we have highlighted the role that histamine, histidine decarboxylase (HDC), histamine receptors and mast cells (the main source of histamine in the body) play during both pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The objective of the review is to demonstrate that histamine and histamine signaling may be a potential therapeutic avenue towards treatment strategies for pancreatic diseases.

Beyond first-line chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer: an expanding array of therapeutic options?

While an increasing number of therapeutic options are now available for the first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer, the optimal choice for treatment in the second-line setting and beyond is less well defined. A variety of cytotoxic agents, either alone or in combination, have been evaluated, although primarily in the context of small single-arm or retrospective studies. Most regimens have been associated with median progression-free survival rates in the range of 2-4 mo and overall survival rates between 4-8 mo, highlighting the very poor prognosis of patients who are candidates for such treatment. Targeted therapies studied in this chemotherapy-refractory setting, meanwhile, have produced even worse efficacy results. In the current article, we review the clinical evidence for treatment of refractory disease, primarily in patients who have progressed on front-line gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. In the process, we highlight the limitations of the available data to date as well as some of the challenges in designing appropriate clinical trials in this salvage setting, including how to select an appropriate control arm given the absence of a well-established reference standard, and the importance of incorporating predictive biomarkers and quality of life measures whenever possible into study design.

Second-line treatment in advanced pancreatic cancer: a comprehensive analysis of published clinical trials

BACKGROUND

There is currently no standard of care for the second-line treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. The aim of this analysis was to compare the different therapeutic approaches in this setting.

METHODS

We carried out a systematic analysis of second-line studies in advanced pancreatic cancer that have progressed on or following gemcitabine and published or presented from 2000 to 2012.

RESULTS

Forty-four clinical trials (t) were identified; of which 34 met the inclusion criteria treating an aggregate total of 1503 patients (n). Patients who received treatments (t: 33; n: 1269) had a median overall survival (OS) of 6 months compared with 2.8 months for patients who received best supportive care only (t: 2; n: 234) (P = 0.013). The gemcitabine and platinum-based combination (t: 5; n: 154) provided a median progression-free survival and OS of 4 and 6 months compared with 1.6 and 5.3 for the rest of the regimens (t: 29; n: 1349) (P = 0.059 and 0.10, respectively) and 2.9 and 5.7 for the combination of 5-fluorouracil and platinum agents (t: 12; n: 450) (P = 0.60 and 0.22, respectively).

CONCLUSION(S)

Although not conclusive, these data showed that the advantage of second-line chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer is very limited and there is a need for more studies.

Gemcitabine and cisplatin combined with regional hyperthermia as second-line treatment in patients with gemcitabine-refractory advanced pancreatic cancer

PURPOSE

There is no standard second-line therapy for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (APC) after gemcitabine (G) failure. Cisplatin (Cis)-based chemotherapy has shown activity in APC. It is proven that cytotoxicity of G and Cis is enhanced by heat exposure at 40° to 42°C. Therefore G plus Cis with regional hyperthermia (RHT) might be beneficial for patients with G-refractory APC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analysed 23 patients with advanced (n = 2) or metastatic (n = 21) pancreatic cancer with relapse after G mono first-line chemotherapy (n = 23). Patients had received G (day 1, 1000 mg/m(2)) and Cis (day 2 and 4, 25 mg/m(2)) in combination with RHT (day 2 and 4, 1 h) biweekly for 4 months. We analysed feasibility, toxicity, time to second progression (TTP2), overall survival (OS) and clinical response.

RESULTS

Between October 1999 and August 2008 23 patients were treated. Haematological toxicity was low with no grade 4 event. Hyperthermia-associated toxicity consisted of discomfort because of bolus pressure (3%), power-related pain (7%) or position-related pain (17%). Median TTP1 was 5.9 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.6-9.2), median TTP2 was 4.3 months (95%CI: 1.2-7.4) and OS 12.9 months (95%CI: 9.9-15.9). The disease control rate in 16 patients with available CT scans was 50%.

CONCLUSION

We show first clinical data of G plus Cis with RHT being clinically active in G-pretreated APC with low toxicity. A prospective controlled phase II second-line clinical trial (EudraCT: 2005-003855-11) and a randomised phase III adjuvant clinical trial offering this treatment (HEAT; EudraCT: 2008-004802-14) are currently open for recruitment.

Role of taxanes in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers and is characterized by a poor prognosis. Single agent gemcitabine, despite its limited activity and modest impact on disease outcome, is considered as the standard therapy in pancreatic cancer. Most of the combination regimens used in the treatment of this disease, also including the targeted agents, did not improve the outcome of patients. Also, taxanes have been tested as single agent and in combination chemotherapy, both in first line and as salvage chemotherapy, as another possible option for treating pancreatic cancer. The inclusion of taxanes in combination with gemcitabine as upfront therapy obtained promising results. Accordingly, taxanes, and above all, new generation taxanes, appear to be suitable candidates for further testing to assess their role against pancreatic cancer in various clinical settings.

The use of GTX as second-line and later chemotherapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer: a retrospective analysis

PURPOSE

There are limited data regarding the role of second-line treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPC) after the failure of initial chemotherapy. No data exist on the use of GTX after the failure of first-line therapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We identified patients who were given GTX chemotherapy for a diagnosis of mPC after the failure of initial therapy. Demographic features, progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS), response to treatment, and toxicities were recorded.

RESULTS

The 59 evaluable patients received a median of 2 prior therapies. Three had no prior gemcitabine. Median PS was 1. Median survival was 22 weeks; progression-free survival was 9.9 weeks. Survival did not correlate with the number of prior regimens but trended with PS. There were no radiologic responses; those with stable disease (n = 21) had a better survival than those with progression (n = 29) or unevaluable patients (n = 9). Median survival was 38.3, 15.0, and 7.4 weeks, respectively. Grade 3 and 4 toxicities included leucopenia (n = 14), anemia (n = 7), and thrombocytopenia (n = 6). Hospitalizations were required in 21 patients, for febrile neutropenia (n = 7), non-neutropenic infection (n = 3), pulmonary embolus (n = 2), anemia or failure to thrive (n = 9). A 75% drop or more in CA 19-9 correlated with improved survival.

CONCLUSIONS

GTX is an active regimen in patients previously treated with gemcitabine for mPC. Better performance status and >75% drop in pretreatment CA 19-9 were associated with longer survival. The number of prior regimens did not predict for survival duration.

[Second line chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer]

Pancreatic cancer is a very lethal cancer. It is the 5th most common cause for cancer related mortality in Korea. Most of patients have unresectable pancreatic cancer, and systemic chemotherapy remains the only treatment option for them. Gemcitabine has been adopted as the standard first-line agent for advanced pancreatic cancer, but the progression free survival with gemcitabine is short. Many of patients need further treatment. We reviewed the clinical trials of second line chemotherapy for gemcitabine refractory pancreatic cancer and tried to show currently available treatment options.

Salvage therapy with mitomycin and ifosfamide in patients with gemcitabine-resistant metastatic pancreatic cancer: a phase II trial

BACKGROUND

At the time of upfront treatment failure, over half of the patients with advanced pancreatic cancer are candidates for further treatment.

METHODS

Patients with metastatic gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer were treated with mitomycin 8 mg/m(2) on day 1, ifosfamide 2,500 mg/m(2) and mesna 3,000 mg/m(2) on days 1-3 every 28 days until progressive disease. A positive responder was defined as a patient who was progression free at 6 months from trial enrollment. According to the Fleming design, a sample size of 34 patients was estimated assuming p0 = 0.05 and p1 = 0.20.

RESULTS

Between May 2006 and December 2007, 21 patients (median age 56 years; median Karnofsky performance score 80) were enrolled. One patient died before receiving any treatment. Eighteen patients interrupted chemotherapy due to progressive disease (n = 15), toxicity (n = 2) or refusal (n = 1). Grade >2 toxicity consisted of neutropenia in 80% of patients, thrombocytopenia and fatigue in 20% and anemia in 10%. Only 1 patient was progression free at 6 months (5%). One patient had a partial response (5%) and 2 patients had stable disease (10%). Median survival was 3.7 months.

CONCLUSION

Based on the poor outcome observed and on the high level of grade 3-4 toxicity, the trial was prematurely stopped and the mitomycin and ifosfamide regimen was considered insufficiently active in gemcitabine-pretreated advanced pancreatic cancer.

S-1 monotherapy as second-line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer after gemcitabine failure

OBJECTIVE

No standard salvage chemotherapy regimen has been established for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer after failure of gemcitabine-based treatment. Although a Phase II study of S-1 monotherapy was conducted in patients with gemcitabine-refractory advanced pancreatic cancer, the number of patients enrolled was small.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 84 consecutive patients who received S-1 monotherapy as a second-line treatment after gemcitabine failure at the Shizuoka Cancer Center between May 2004 and April 2008. The selection criteria in this study were age 20-75 years, ECOG performance status <or=2 and preserved organ functions. S-1 was administered orally twice a day at a dose of 40 mg/m(2) for 28 days, followed by 14-day rest.

RESULTS

Fifty-two patients were selected for the analysis. Out of the 47/52 patients with measurable lesions, only 2 patients (4%) showed a partial response and 15 patients (32%) showed stable disease. The median progression-free survival was 2.1 months and the median overall survival was 5.8 months, with a 1-year survival rate of 12%. The common grade 3/4 toxicities were diarrhea (8%), anorexia (6%), fatigue (6%), anemia (6%) and leucopenia (4%).

CONCLUSIONS

S-1 monotherapy is marginally effective and well tolerated in the second-line setting in patients with gemcitabine-refractory advanced pancreatic cancer.

Chemotherapeutic agents potentiate adenoviral gene therapy for pancreatic cancer

Adenovirus-mediated gene therapy combined with chemotherapeutic agents is expected to represent a new approach for treating pancreatic cancer. However, there have been no reports of definitive effects of chemotherapeutic agents on adenovirus-mediated gene therapies. In the present study, we investigated the effects of chemotherapeutic agents on the transduction efficiency of an adenovirus-based gene therapy. Adenovirus (Ad-NK4) expressing NK4, which acts as a hepatocyte growth factor antagonist, was used as a representative gene therapy. Pancreatic cancer cells infected with Ad-NK4 were treated with chemotherapeutic agents (5-fluorouracil [5FU], cisplatin or etoposide), and the NK4 levels in their culture media were measured. To examine the effects of chemotherapeutic agents in vivo, Ad-NK4 was administered to subcutaneous tumors in mice after treatment with the agents, and the tumor NK4 levels were measured. The NK4 levels in culture media from cells treated with 5FU, cisplatin and etoposide were 5.2-fold (P = 0.026), 6-fold (P < 0.001) and 4.3-fold (P < 0.001) higher than those of untreated cells, respectively. The chemotherapeutic agents also increased Ad-NK4 uptake. The NK4 levels in tumors treated with 5FU, cisplatin and etoposide were 5.4-fold (P = 0.006), 11.8-fold (P < 0.001) and 4.9-fold (P = 0.017) higher than those in untreated tumors, respectively. The present findings suggest that chemotherapeutic agents significantly improve the efficiency of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer in pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, they will contribute to decreases in the adenovirus doses required for gene transfer, thereby controlling the side-effects of adenovirus infection in normal tissues.

A multi-centre retrospective review of second-line therapy in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma

INTRODUCTION

Limited information on second-line treatment in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma is available. At time of first-line treatment failure, approximately half of the patients are candidates for further treatment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective review of 183 patients submitted to second-line therapy has been performed to identify prognostic factors, provides useful information for patients counseling and generates hypotheses for future studies. Inclusion criteria were: cytological or histologic diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and prior gemcitabine-including chemotherapy. Any age, performance status (PS) and chemotherapy regimen were considered.

RESULTS

One hundred and eighty-three patients (106 males; 168 metastatic; median age 62 years; median PS 1; 63 submitted to prior curative surgery, 32 to prior radiotherapy) with a median previous progression-free survival (PFS) of 6.7 months were included. Median and 6-month PFS after initiation of salvage therapy were 3.0 months and 20%. Median, 1 and 2 years, overall survival after initiation of salvage therapy were 6.2 months, 17 and 4%, respectively. Previous PFS, CA19.9 levels and age independently predicted OS.

CONCLUSION

Re-challenge with gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil administration may have a role in selected patients.