Dr. Chung on the Effect of Combo Therapies in Patients With Pancreatic Cancer

Vincent Chung, MD, associate clinical professor, Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, director of the Phase I Program, City of Hope, discusses the effect of gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane), metformin, and dietary supplements on patients with pancreatic cancer.

Researchers looked at overall survival (OS) and response rates of patients during the trial. The average OS was 8.9 months and 29% of patients responded to therapy. This is comparable with the IMPaCT trial which is a large, randomized, phase III clinical trial that looked at nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer, says Chung.

This was a safety study evaluating if patients are able to tolerate taking these supplements on a regular basis in combination with chemotherapy. Patients with pancreatic cancer commonly have gastrointestinal (GI) problems. The study found that this regimen was feasible, although 1 patient did discontinue supplements due to the volume of supplements but not GI toxicity. Anecdotally, many of the patients said their symptoms improved, such as an increase in energy, concludes Chung.