Experimental drug combo targets Hard-to-Treat pancreatic cancer
NCT ID NCT04158635
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-stage trial tests whether adding the drug bosentan to standard chemotherapy (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel) is safe and tolerable for people with pancreatic cancer that cannot be removed by surgery. The study involves 21 adults and aims to find the best dose of bosentan while monitoring side effects. Researchers hope this combination may slow or stop tumor growth better than chemotherapy alone.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- bosentan (a drug that blocks the hormone endothelin) combined with chemotherapy drugs gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new combination treatment to help control advanced pancreatic cancer that cannot be surgically removed.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early Phase 1 trial with only 21 participants, focused on safety and dosing. The study is currently suspended, and it is unknown if the combination will improve outcomes or cause significant side effects.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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About 21 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2021
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Main Inclusion Criteria * Adult patients with unresectable pancreatic carcinoma * Patients must be a candidate to receive one of the following chemotherapy combinations as determined by the treating physician: Arm A2: gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel given every 2 weeks (arm A1 is closed per this amendment) Arm B: mFOLFIRINOX given every 2 weeks * Willingness to permit study team to obtain and use archival tissue, if already existing, or, be willing to undergo a fresh tumor biopsy if clinically possible (exceptions may be provided by study PI if medically unsafe to perform biopsy). * Weight ≥ 40 kg * ANC ≥ 1500/mm3; platelets ≥ 100,000/mm3 * AST, ALT ≤ 1.5 x ULN. Patients with liver metastases ≤ 3 x ULN * Total serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x ULN * Creatinine clearence ≥ 60 mL/min Main Exclusion Criteria * Current or planned use of Warfarin, Cyclosporine A, Rifampicin, Glyburide (other diabetic medications are allowed) * Current or planned use of agents contraindicated for use with strong CYP3A4 inducers * Strong inhibitors or inducers of CYP2C9 * Strong inhibitors or inducers of CYP3A * Agent or agents that moderately inhibit both CYP2C9 and CYP3A (via a single concomitant agent, or co-administration of concomitant agents) * No other prior malignancy is allowed except for the following: adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, in situ cervical cancer, adequately treated Stage I or II cancer from which the patient is currently in complete remission, or any other cancer from which the patient has been disease free for five years. * Current or history of ≥ Grade 2 peripheral neuropathy * Known allergy to eggs or any of the components within the study agents and/or their excipients.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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City of Hope Medical Center
Duarte, California, 91010, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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