Combination Chemotherapy + TTF for Pancreatic Cancer

Recruiting at 2 trial locations

Overseen By Clinical Trials Referral Office

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Phase 1 & 2

Sponsor: University of Arizona

Must not be taking: Torsades de Pointes drugs

Disqualifiers: Brain metastasis, Heart block, Pacemakers, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

Duration: 12 weeks

40 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores a new treatment approach that combines three chemotherapy drugs—Cisplatin, Gemcitabine, and Nab-Paclitaxel—with a device called Tumor Treatment Fields (TTF) for individuals with metastatic pancreatic cancer. The researchers aim to determine if this combination can slow cancer progression or improve patient outcomes. The trial seeks participants with pancreatic cancer that has spread to the liver and who have not received prior treatment for advanced cancer. Individuals with other types of pancreatic cancer or who have undergone treatment for advanced cancer are not eligible. As a Phase 1, Phase 2 trial, this research focuses on understanding how the treatment works in people and measuring its effectiveness in an initial, smaller group of patients.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications, but it does prohibit the use of drugs with a black box warning for Torsades de Pointes if they cannot be replaced by another drug. It's best to discuss your current medications with the trial team.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research has shown that combining Tumor Treating Fields (TTF) with chemotherapy drugs like cisplatin, gemcitabine, and nab-paclitaxel may help treat pancreatic cancer. One study found that adding TTF to gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel was safe for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, with no unexpected side effects making the treatment unsafe.

Additionally, using TTFields therapy with taxanes (another type of chemotherapy drug) has proven helpful in treating certain cancers. This indicates that the treatment is generally well-tolerated, allowing most people to handle it without serious problems.

Although this is an early-phase trial, which often focuses on safety, current evidence suggests these treatments are safe to use together in humans. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial's treatments?

Researchers are excited about the combination of chemotherapy and Tumor Treating Fields (TTF) for pancreatic cancer because it introduces a novel approach in treating this challenging condition. Unlike standard treatments like FOLFIRINOX or gemcitabine with nab-paclitaxel, which rely solely on chemotherapy, this new regimen adds TTF—a non-invasive method using electric fields to disrupt cancer cell division. This dual approach aims to enhance the effectiveness of traditional chemotherapy by targeting cancer cells more aggressively and potentially improving patient outcomes. Additionally, the daily administration of TTF, alongside chemotherapy, could offer a more continuous attack on cancer cells, increasing the likelihood of slowing disease progression.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for pancreatic cancer?

In this trial, participants will receive a combination of the chemotherapy drugs Cisplatin, Gemcitabine, and Nab-Paclitaxel with Tumor Treating Fields (TTF). Research has shown that this combination may be promising for treating pancreatic cancer. One study found that patients using TTF with chemotherapy lived longer and experienced less pain compared to those who only received chemotherapy. Another study demonstrated that using TTF with chemotherapy was safe and halted cancer growth for at least six months in 56% of patients. This combination of treatments resulted in a 71% objective response rate, indicating that the cancer shrank or disappeared in most cases. These findings suggest that this treatment could be effective for advanced pancreatic cancer. ^{1 2 3 6 7}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Hani M. Babiker, MD

Principal Investigator

Mayo Clinic

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for adults with stage IV metastatic pancreatic cancer who haven't had treatment for advanced disease. They can join if they've had certain previous therapies, but not if they have brain metastasis or heart issues. Participants need functioning major organs and no severe cardiac risks, and women must not be pregnant.

Inclusion Criteria

Laboratory data as specified below:

Patients must have measurable disease on scans per RECIST 1.1

Ability to operate the Novo TTF-100L (P) system

Exclusion Criteria

Patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding

I have cancer that has spread to my brain.

I have received initial treatment for cancer that has spread.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive gemcitabine, cisplatin, and protein-bound paclitaxel combined with Tumor Treatment Fields (TTF) for 6 cycles

12 weeks

Every 2 weeks

Maintenance

Participants transition to maintenance therapy with gemcitabine and daily TTF until disease progression

Until progression

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

6 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Cisplatin
• Gemcitabine
• Nab-Paclitaxel
• TTF

Trial Overview The study tests a combination of chemotherapy drugs (Protein-bound Paclitaxel, Cisplatin, Gemcitabine) with Tumor Treatment Fields (TTF), followed by maintenance therapy. It's an early-phase trial to see how safe this approach is and how well it works in patients.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Modified GCN+TTF treatment Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The trial will compose of 2 parts with a total of 40 subjects. The regimen will consist of gemcitabine (G) administered at a dose of 800 mg/m2, cisplatin (C) 30 mg/m2, and protein-bound paclitaxel (N) 150 mg/m2 administered on cycle 1 day 1 and every 2 weeks thereafter and TTF will be administered daily (150kHz 18 hours/day) starting with Cycle 1 Day 1 (dose level 1). After completing 6 cycles, patients will then transition to a maintenance phase of G administered at a dose of 1000 mg/m2 every 2 weeks and daily TTF (150 KHZ 18 hours/day) until progression of disease (POD) per RECIST v1.1. If 6 patients tolerate the dose level of GCN+TTF through the 1st cycle without defined dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) or grade 4 treatment related adverse events (TRAE), the 2nd part of the study (phase Ib portion) will commence. An additional 34 patients will be enrolled in the expansion cohort (phase Ib).

Cisplatin is already approved in European Union, United States, Canada, Japan for the following indications:

Approved in European Union as Platinol for:

• Testicular cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Head and neck cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Brain tumors
• Neuroblastoma

Approved in United States as Platinol for:

• Testicular cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Head and neck cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Brain tumors
• Neuroblastoma

Approved in Canada as Platinol for:

• Testicular cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Head and neck cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Brain tumors
• Neuroblastoma

Approved in Japan as Platinol for:

• Testicular cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Head and neck cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Brain tumors
• Neuroblastoma

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Arizona

Lead Sponsor

Trials

545

Recruited

161,000+

Mayo Clinic

Lead Sponsor

Trials

3,427

Recruited

3,221,000+

NovoCure Ltd.

Industry Sponsor

Trials

64

Recruited

6,100+

Ashley Cordova

NovoCure Ltd.

Chief Executive Officer

Bachelor of Science in Material Engineering from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

Uri Weinberg

NovoCure Ltd.

Chief Medical Officer since 2020

MD from an unspecified institution

Published Research Related to This Trial

Total serum nanoparticles (TSN) loaded with piperlongumine (PL) showed greater cytotoxic effects against pancreatic cancer cells compared to those loaded with paclitaxel (PTX) and standard treatments, indicating a promising new approach for cancer therapy.

The TSN-PL nanoparticles demonstrated significant antitumor efficacy in pancreatic cancer xenograft models, suggesting their potential for effective cancer treatment in vivo.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cancer nanomedicine developed from total human serum: a novel approach for making personalized nanomedicine. Thayath, J., Pavithran, K., Nair, SV., et al.[2021]

Nab-paclitaxel has recently been introduced as a first-line treatment for metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), showing promising improvements in patient outcomes after years of stagnation in treatment options.

The review highlights the unique mechanism of action of nab-paclitaxel, particularly its interaction with albumin and SPARC, which may enhance its efficacy in targeting cancer cells.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Nab-paclitaxel for metastatic pancreatic cancer: clinical outcomes and potential mechanisms of action. Al-Batran, SE., Geissler, M., Seufferlein, T., et al.[2015]

The maximum tolerated doses (MTD) of ABI-007 in combination with carboplatin were determined to be 300 mg/m², 100 mg/m², and 125 mg/m² for three different treatment schedules, indicating a well-defined dosing strategy for future studies.

The combination therapy was well tolerated with a lower incidence of severe neutropenia compared to traditional solvent-based paclitaxel, showing promising activity against various solid tumors, including lung and breast cancers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Phase I and pharmacokinetic trial of carboplatin and albumin-bound paclitaxel, ABI-007 (Abraxane) on three treatment schedules in patients with solid tumors. Stinchcombe, TE., Socinski, MA., Walko, CM., et al.[2018]

Nab-paclitaxel, a nanoparticle formulation of paclitaxel, has improved solubility and pharmacokinetics, leading to slightly better survival rates in pancreatic cancer when combined with gemcitabine compared to gemcitabine alone, as shown in Phase III clinical trials.

Innovative laboratory techniques to manipulate cancer cell cycles may enhance the effectiveness of nab-paclitaxel, potentially allowing it to target more tumor cells effectively, even in treatment-resistant cases.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Nanoparticle albumin-bound-paclitaxel: a limited improvement under the current therapeutic paradigm of pancreatic cancer. Hoffman, RM., Bouvet, M.[2022]

In a small study of 3 patients with metastatic ampullary and duodenal adenocarcinoma who had previously failed standard chemotherapy, treatment with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine (with or without cisplatin) resulted in excellent tumor responses and over a year of progression-free survival.

All patients showed significant reductions in tumor markers and have survived for 2-3 years since their diagnosis, suggesting that nab-paclitaxel combined with gemcitabine could be a promising salvage therapy for these difficult-to-treat cancers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Durable response for ampullary and duodenal adenocarcinoma with a nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine ± cisplatin combination. Cen, P., Wray, CJ., Zhang, S., et al.[2022]

In a trial involving 84 patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, the efficacy of weekly nab-paclitaxel plus cisplatin was found to be similar to that of gemcitabine plus cisplatin, with median progression-free survival of 4.8 months for nab-TP and 5.2 months for GP.

Nab-paclitaxel showed improved overall survival in patients with EGFR mutations (26.7 months) and those with a performance status of 0 (23.5 months) compared to gemcitabine, indicating potential benefits in specific patient subgroups while maintaining comparable safety profiles.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Weekly albumin-bound paclitaxel/cisplatin versus gemcitabine/cisplatin as first-line therapy for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: A phase II open-label clinical study. Qin, S., Yu, H., Wu, X., et al.[2022]

In a study of 78 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, treatment with nano-albumin paclitaxel combined with cisplatin resulted in a significantly higher disease control rate of 79.49% compared to 38.46% for traditional paclitaxel combined with cisplatin after four treatment cycles.

The nano-albumin regimen also showed a lower incidence of adverse reactions, such as myelosuppression, nausea, vomiting, and hyperglycemia, indicating it is both effective and safer for patients.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Analysis of Clinical Efficacy of Nano-Albumin Paclitaxel Treatment for Advanced Cell Lung Cancer. Li, X., Zhang, Y., Zhi, X., et al.[2022]

A phase I study is being conducted to evaluate the safety and determine the maximum tolerated dose of albumin-bound paclitaxel (ABP) delivered via pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) in patients with advanced peritoneal metastases from various cancers.

The study will involve three treatments with ABP, escalating the dose from 35 to 140 mg/m², and will assess not only toxicity but also factors like surgical morbidity and quality of life, aiming to set the stage for future randomized phase II trials.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Intraperitoneal aerosolization of albumin-stabilized paclitaxel nanoparticles (Abraxane™) for peritoneal carcinomatosis - a phase I first-in-human study. Van De Sande, L., Graversen, M., Hubner, M., et al.[2023]

The combination of nab-paclitaxel, gemcitabine, and capecitabine was found to be well tolerated in a phase I study with 15 patients, establishing a maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) but showing only modest antitumor activity in metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Despite the regimen being generally safe, with a low incidence of severe hematologic toxicities, only 14.3% of patients had a partial response, indicating that optimizing dose intensity may be crucial for improving treatment outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A phase I trial of nab-paclitaxel, gemcitabine, and capecitabine for metastatic pancreatic cancer. Ko, AH., Truong, TG., Kantoff, E., et al.[2022]

Cytoreductive surgery followed by platinum-based chemotherapy, particularly with carboplatin, remains the standard treatment for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, but most patients are not cured, highlighting the need for improved therapies.

Paclitaxel, a novel agent effective in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, is being tested in combination with platinum compounds in clinical trials for previously untreated patients, aiming to enhance treatment efficacy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Treatment of ovarian cancer: current status. Ozols, RF.[2015]

In a phase 3 trial involving 861 patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, the combination of nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine significantly improved overall survival (8.5 months) compared to gemcitabine alone (6.7 months), with a hazard ratio for death of 0.72, indicating a 28% reduction in the risk of death.

The combination therapy also resulted in better progression-free survival (5.5 months vs. 3.7 months) and a higher overall response rate (23% vs. 7%), although it was associated with increased rates of adverse events like neutropenia and neuropathy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Increased survival in pancreatic cancer with nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine. Von Hoff, DD., Ervin, T., Arena, FP., et al.[2022]

Nanoparticles show great potential in cancer therapy and diagnosis, but there is a significant gap between experimental research and clinical application, with only a few formulations currently in use.

Notable examples of nanoparticle therapies include nanoparticle-albumin-bound paclitaxel and liposomal irinotecan, both of which are approved for treating pancreatic cancer, demonstrating their efficacy in clinical settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Nanoparticles for cancer therapy]. Löhr, M., van der Wijngaart, W., Fagerberg, B.[2019]

Citations

1. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04605913

Study Details | NCT04605913 | Nab-Paclitaxel + Cisplatin ... This is a Phase I/Ib trial, single-center, non-randomized, open-label study of Protein-bound Paclitaxel, Cisplatin, And Gemcitabine (GCN) Combined with ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11192994/

Phase II clinical trial of nab‐paclitaxel plus cisplatin plus ... We achieved an ORR of 71% with two CRs, 12‐month OS of 65%, and median survival of 16+ months. The current phase II study was performed to ...

3. dmr.amegroups.org dmr.amegroups.org/article/view/9499/html

Emerging potential of tumor treating fields as a treatment ... Regarding efficacy, the combination therapy of TTFields and chemotherapy was found to be safe and tolerable for PDAC patients. The PFS at six months was 56% in ...

4. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9913762/

Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) Therapy Concomitant ... The summarized data suggest that TTFields therapy concomitant with taxanes may be beneficial in the treatment of certain cancers.

5. ascopubs.org ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO-25-00746

Randomized, Open-Label, Pivotal Phase III PANOVA-3 Study This study demonstrated significant OS, pain-free survival, and distant PFS benefits for TTFields with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel versus gemcitabine/nab- ...

6. digestivecancers.eu digestivecancers.eu/promising-advances-in-pancreatic-cancer-asco-2025-highlights/

Promising Advances in Pancreatic Cancer: ASCO 2025 ... Patients who received the combination of TTFields added to gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in first-line therapy had an improvement of two months ...

7. mycancergenome.org mycancergenome.org/content/clinical_trials/NCT04605913/

Clinical Trial: NCT04605913 This is a Phase I/Ib trial, single-center, non-randomized, open-label study of Protein-bound Paclitaxel, Cisplatin, And Gemcitabine (GCN) ...