Can an old malaria drug boost Radiation's power against pancreatic cancer?
NCT ID NCT01494155
First seen Aug 05, 2026 · Last updated Aug 06, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This phase 2 trial is testing whether adding hydroxychloroquine to standard radiation and chemotherapy before surgery can better control pancreatic cancer. About 50 people with resectable pancreatic cancer will receive either proton or photon radiation along with capecitabine and hydroxychloroquine. The study aims to see if this combination improves progression-free survival and increases the chance of a complete response at surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Hydroxychloroquine combined with capecitabine and proton or photon radiation therapy
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this combination could improve control of pancreatic cancer before surgery, potentially extending the time without the disease progressing.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-phase trial with a small number of participants, so results may not apply broadly. The added drug may increase side effects without improving outcomes.
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
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
50 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Dec 2011
- Finished
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Sep 2018
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: * Cytologic or histologic proof of pancreatic ductal carcinoma * Life expectancy \> 3 months * Adequate organ and marrow function Exclusion Criteria: * Evidence of metastatic disease * Pregnant or breast-feeding * Tumors in the body or tail of the pancreas * Serious concomitant systemic disorders such as significant cardiac or pulmonary morbidity (e.g. congestive heart failure, symptomatic coronary artery disease and cardiac arrhythmias not well controlled with medication) or myocardial infarction within the last 12 months, ongoing infection as manifest by fever * Prior chemotherapy or radiation for treatment of the patient's pancreatic tumor * Diagnosis of other invasive carcinomas (except basal cell carcinomas/squamous cell carcinoma of the skin) with the last 5 years. Carcinoma in-situ is allowed. * Other serious uncontrolled medical conditions * Lack of physical integrity of the upper gastrointestinal tract or malabsorption syndrome * Known, existing uncontrolled coagulopathy * Prior systemic fluoropyrimidine therapy (unless given in an adjuvant setting and completed at least 6 months earlier). Prior unanticipated severe reaction to fluoropyrimidine therapy, or known hypersensitivity to 5-fluorouracil or known DPD deficiency * Participation in any investigational drug study within 4 weeks preceding the start of study treatment * History of uncontrolled seizures, central nervous system disorders, or psychiatric disability * Major surgery, excluding laparoscopy, within 4 weeks of the start of study treatment, without complete recovery * Currently taking cimetidine * Receiving any other study agents * History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to capecitabine and HCQ * Already taking HCQ or chloroquine for other diagnosis * History of Grade 3 or greater retinopathy or keratitis
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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
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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