Blood test may speed up chemo decisions for deadly pancreatic cancer
NCT ID NCT07096362
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Sep 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study is testing whether a blood test that looks for tumor DNA (ctDNA) can tell doctors within weeks if chemotherapy is shrinking a patient's pancreatic cancer. Currently, doctors wait about 8 weeks for a scan to see if treatment is working. The trial will enroll 50 people with metastatic pancreatic cancer who are starting their first chemotherapy. If the blood test shows the cancer is not responding, doctors may switch treatments earlier than usual.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- 5-Fluorouracil, Oxaliplatin, Leucovorin (chemotherapy drugs)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that a simple blood test can help doctors decide sooner whether to switch chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, potentially improving outcomes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study (50 people) testing a new use of an existing test. The blood test may not reliably predict treatment response, and results may not apply to all patients.
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 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2030
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.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Histologically confirmed, metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Patients with adenosquamous carcinoma and mixed adenocarcinoma/neuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) of the pancreas are eligible, but pure neuroendocrine neoplasms are excluded. 2. Treatment-naïve patients diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. 3. Must have a detectable circulating tumor deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) at cycle 1 day 1. 4. Patients must have a detectable circulating tumor deoxyribonucleic acid (ctDNA) quantity on Northstar Response assay at baseline. 5. At least one tumor measurable by Computed Tomography (CT) scan or Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography (PET/CT) scan. Measurable disease is defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded for non-nodal lesions and short axis for nodal lesions) as \>20 mm with conventional techniques or \>10 mm with spiral CT scan. 6. Adult male and female participants (≥ 18 years of age). 7. Male or non-pregnant and non-lactating female. Men and women with intact reproductive potential must agree to use contraception. 8. Adequate biological parameters as demonstrated by the following blood counts at Screening (obtained ≤ 21 days prior to enrollment) and at Baseline-Day 0: * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.0 × 109 cells/L. * Platelet count ≥ 100,000 cells/mm3 (100 × 109 cells/L). Supportive platelet transfusions are acceptable. * Hemoglobin (Hgb) ≥ 9 g/dL. Supportive packed red blood cell transfusions are acceptable. 9. Adequate blood chemistry levels at Screening (obtained ≤ 21 days prior to enrollment) and at Baseline-Day 0: * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) - serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT); alanine transaminase (ALT) - serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) ≤ 2.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN) range, unless liver metastases are present, then ≤ 5 × ULN is allowed. * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × Upper Limit of Normal. * Estimated creatinine clearance of \> 60 mL/min (per Cockcroft-Gault formula). * Albumin ≥ 3.0 g/dL. 10. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status from 0 to ≤ 1. 11. Must be a modified Folfirinox chemotherapy candidate. 12. For participants not qualified or able to give legal consent, consent must be obtained from their legally authorized representative (LAR). Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with pure neuroendocrine neoplasms of the pancreas. 2. Brain metastases. 3. Uncontrolled ascites. 4. Increase of ECOG to \> 1 between screening and enrollment. 5. Active, uncontrolled bacterial, viral, or fungal infection(s) requiring systemic therapy. 6. History of untreated or uncontrolled HIV and/or Hepatitis B or C infection. 7. Clinically significant, uncontrolled heart disease and/or cardiac repolarization abnormality, including any of the following: * History of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, symptomatic pericarditis, or coronary artery bypass graft within six months prior to study entry * Documented cardiomyopathy 8. Grade 2 or greater sensory peripheral neuropathy. 9. History of chronic diarrhea. 10. Pregnant or nursing. 11. Concomitant serious medical or psychiatric illness that, in the opinion of the investigator, could compromise the patient's safety or integrity of the study data. 12. Concurrently enrolled in any other interventional clinical protocol or investigational trial involving administration of antineoplastic compounds for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer. 13. Patient is unwilling or unable to comply with study procedures. 14. Patients with impaired decision-making capacity. 15. No other medical condition or reason that, in the opinion of the investigator, would preclude study participation.
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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
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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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University of Miami
RECRUITINGMiami, Florida, 33136, United States
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