How to find Clinical Trials for Pancreatic Cancer?
Having applied for a couple of trials and searching for new ones, I now realize I need help navigating these clinical trial options and doing this takes a great amount of time and expertise. I am doing as much as I can on my end, but it is overwhelming and I need more help. I am now having a recurrence and am considered Stage 4 so I am keenly aware that time is of the essence and the windows of opportunity for me to get into any trials are closing rapidly.
I think what I really need is to personally hire a part-time or full-time person to navigate through clinical trials. Do you know someone or have any recommendations on how to find someone (located anywhere), who has the expertise and can take the lead in determining appropriate trials and making direct contact with study coordinators and principal investigators to expedite the determination of my eligibility, the availability of slots, and guide through the process? Would this role be called "clinical coordinator" or something else?
If you have any suggestions about how to find someone I can personally hire to help me, I would be most grateful. StageIVSurvivor, perhaps you know someone or how to find someone?
Beth
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Pancreatic Cancer Support Group.
PanCan will be announcing details of a new Phase 3 trial with Oncolytics for their drug Pelareorep Biotech and a Checkpoint Inhibitor
On around 20th of September.
Oncolytics Biotech was granted FastTrack approval in December of 2022. The Checkpoint Inhibitor hasn't been decided yet.
I’m at that point also with stage four and multiple liver lesions so your information has been helpful as my husband and I will be pursuing clinical trials soon.
Thank you SO much! I am very curious.
Thank you!
A friend just sent me this info about a phase 2 clinical trial.
@frygirl777
I also fall into the category of spleen removed plus have had liver Mets removed. I am going to John’s Hopkins this month for a consult. Will let you know what I find via a vis ongoing maintenance drugs with KRAS mutation.
Not as great results for those who had their spleens removed! 🙁 I fall into that category.
Some sources for finding KRAS trials I use are:
PanCAN.org -- extremely helpful. Tumor registry, education, trial finder, etc.
National Institutes on Health (NIH) nih.gov -- Search "Clinical Trials"
Facebook group "KRAS" -- They try and gather as much information on research and trials as possible. They have links to educational videos, lectures about KRAS and ongoing research. While, I think, 90% of PDAC cancers have the KRAS mutation, many other cancers can also have KRAS mutations, so it's not just PDAC. There can be overlap between cancers when it comes to KRAS.
cancercommons.org -- for a fee will help you search for trials.
If you are being treated in a research hospital or major cancer center, you should also ask for help from your team. Sometimes these centers will have their own trials. If there is nothing there for you, start searching. There are new developments daily. You may also find other organizations that will help in your search.
I know the world of KRAS mutation is moving slow but anyone following the 3 types of kras mutation trials
I'm going in June to the national cancer institute in Bethesda Md for screening for a trial on the ATM gene.I hope to pass the screening and get into the trial.
@mamarina , Thanks for that very encouraging link! I had read a study from several years ago (Stanford, iirc) where they found intra-arterial delivery in mice with pancreatic cancer achieved the same effect as traditional chemo delivery with about 1/300th the typical dose, meaning very little in the way of side effects.
It's awesome to see this moving not only from mice to humans, but with the added pressure from the balloons helping the meds penetrate that nasty stroma in such a non-invasive way.
Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be an option for distant/multiple metastases. CRS + HIPEC (Cyto-Reductive Surgery + Heated Intra-Peritoneal Chemotherapy) is "conceptually" similar in that it attempts to deliver chemo directly to the tumor(s), but from the outside-in. Pretty invasive/risky and somewhat controversial from what I hear. Hope someone w/ more knowledge about this can share.