Blood molecules may unlock secrets of pancreatic cancer
NCT ID NCT04406831
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at tiny molecules called microRNA in the blood of people with advanced pancreatic cancer. Researchers want to see if these molecules can help diagnose the disease earlier, predict how it will progress, and show whether treatment is working. The study will follow 200 participants, including a control group, with monthly blood draws for the cancer group.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a simple blood test for earlier detection of pancreatic cancer and better prediction of how patients will respond to treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early observational study, not a treatment trial. The findings may not translate into a reliable diagnostic test or 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.
- Participants
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About 200 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2015
- Expected to finish
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Apr 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.
Who is studied
Individuals with new diagnoses of unresectable pancreatic cancer, or recurrent pancreatic cancer following a Whipple procedure
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Have biopsy proven adenocarcinoma of the pancreas * Have initially inoperable disease, classified as either locally advanced or metastatic disease * Recurrent disease after a Whipple procedure is allowed * Patients who are able to undergo resection after neoadjuvant therapy will continue to be followed after resection * Have radiographically measurable disease * Have an ECOG performance status of 2 or less * Be willing to contribute the required information and specimens * Provide written signed consent to participate Exclusion Criteria: * Having received prior anti-cancer treatments for metastatic pancreatic cancer * Concurrently receiving systemic therapy for another cancer except androgen deprivation therapy for stable/controlled prostate cancer * Presence of other active cancer except for: adequately treated local basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, cervical carcinoma in situ, superficial bladder cancer, asymptomatic prostate cancer without known metastatic disease and with no requirement for therapy or requiring only hormonal therapy and with normal prostate-specific antigen for \>1 year prior to start of trial. Other adequately treated Stage 1 or 2 cancer currently in complete remission, or any other cancer that has been in complete remission for \> 5 years is allowable
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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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Nuvance Health
RECRUITINGNorwalk, Connecticut, 06856, United States
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