New 3-Week radiation combo could tame pancreatic cancer
NCT ID NCT03902600
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests a 3-week course of radiation (using photons or protons) combined with chemotherapy for people with pancreatic cancer that hasn't spread. The goal is to see if this shorter treatment is safe and effective, either before surgery or as the main therapy. Researchers will also check if levels of pancreatic cancer DNA in the blood can help predict how well the treatment works.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- radiation therapy (photon and proton) combined with chemotherapy
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a shorter, more effective radiation schedule for pancreatic cancer with fewer side effects, and show that blood DNA levels help predict treatment response.
- What could go wrong
- This is a mid-stage trial with only 103 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. The radiation dose is higher than standard, which could increase gastrointestinal 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.
- Participants
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103 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2018
- Finished
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Aug 2026
- 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
Adult patients with pancreatic cancer
- 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: -Age ≥ 18 years * Histological confirmation of adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (head, body, or tail of pancreas) * Imaging consistent with T1-4, N0-2, M0 pancreas cancer, including potentially resectable, borderline resectable, or unresectable disease as per National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) classification. When CT of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis are performed, this must be with contras per pancreas protocol. Imagining with positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) alone is acceptable on study. If PET/CT is performed, a separate pancreas protocol CT is required for inclusion. * Must have received neoadjuvant chemotherapy at the discretion of medical oncology * Medical oncology consultation to confirm that patient is an appropriate candidate for concurrent chemotherapy and surgical oncology consultation for confirmation of resection status. * Note: Patients who have received previous chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer are allowed to participate in this study, unless they experienced a previous allergic reaction to the drugs used in this study. * Planned to receive CRT, consisting of proton beam therapy (PBT) or intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) (45 Gy/15 fractions) with concurrent chemotherapy with 5FU or Capecitabine. * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status 0-1 or Karnofsky Performance Status 70-100 (Appendix III). * Willing to sign consent onto the Mayo Clinic Radiotherapy Patient Outcomes Registry and Biobanking study, Institutional Review Board (IRB) 15-000136 * Patients do not need to agree to Biobank blood draw. * Patients at Mayo Clinic Arizona are not required to consent to the Registry. * Willing to sign consent for blood collection onto the Pancreas SPORE, IRB 354-06. * Able to complete standard of care clinical questionnaire(s) by themselves or with assistance. Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of non-regional nodal involvement or distant metastatic disease (M1) * Prior RT to the thorax, abdomen, or pelvis * History of prior malignancy \< 2 years of enrollment, except non-melanotic skin cancer or carcinoma-in-situ of the cervix * Immunocompromised patients and patients known to be HIV positive and not currently receiving antiretroviral therapy. * Note: Patients known to be HIV positive, but without clinical evidence of an immunocompromised state, are eligible for this trial. * Receiving any investigational agent concurrent with CRT which would be considered as a treatment for the primary neoplasm. * Any of the following because this study involves an agent that has known genotoxic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects: * Pregnant women * Nursing women * Men or women of childbearing potential who are unwilling to employ adequate contraception * Co-morbid systemic or psychiatric illnesses or other severe concurrent disease which, in the judgment of the investigator, would make the patient inappropriate for entry into this study or interfere significantly with the proper assessment of safety and toxicity of the prescribed regimens. * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Mayo Clinic in Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona, 85259, United States
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Mayo Clinic in Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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