Efficacy of PERT for PEI in Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer.

NCT06099119 | Recruiting Phase 4 DMC

• 1 other identifier: PEI004/2021
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 100
• Locations: 3 countries
• Sites: 4

Brief Summary

\- This will a be an open label, multicentre, randomized, controlled study in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer, locally advanced or metastatic, with significant weight loss, and the tumour located in the head of the pancreas associated with dilated main pancreatic duct. Pancreatic Exocrine Replacement Therapy (PERT) in these patients will be given on top of other required therapies (best standard of care, BSC), including oncologic therapies, diabetes mellitus therapies and acid suppressants and nutritional support as appropriate. The duration of the study will be up to six months. Consecutive patients meeting inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria will be evaluated for the study. Those patients signing the informed consent for study participation will be randomized to one of the following two arms:

• The experimental arm will receive the best standard of care (BSC) and PERT (capsules containing pancreatin 35,000 Ph.U.) at a fixed dose of 3 capsules with main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and 2 capsules with snacks over 6 months.
• The control arm will receive the BSC over 3 months, followed by a further 3-month open uncontrolled phase of BSC + PERT at the dose mentioned above. All patients will receive in addition a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) bid (any PPI at standard dose is acceptable -omeprazole 20 mg, lansoprazole 30 mg, pantoprazole 40 mg, rabeprazole 20 mg, esomeprazole 40 mg) while on PERT, 20-30 minutes before breakfast and dinner. To make the two arms comparable, patients will be stratified in two groups (locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer) for randomization using computer generated random numbers.

Conditions

Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in body weight over study period.

  ƍ between visit 4 (sixt month) and visit 1 (day 1) in the patient's weight

  From visit 1 day 1 to visit 4 sixt month.

Study Arms (2)

experimental arm

EXPERIMENTAL

Creon 35.000 Ph.U (R) at a fixed dose of 3 capsules orally with main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and 2 capsules with snacks over 6 months post randomization.

Drug: creon 35.000 Ph.U (R)

control arm

OTHER

Creon 35.000 Ph.U (R) at a fixed dose of 3 capsules orally with main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and 2 capsules with snacks during the last 3 months post randomization.

Other: Best Standarard of Care

Interventions

creon 35.000 Ph.U (R) DRUG

Experimental arm: Pancreatic Exocrine Replacement Therapy (PERT) treatment during the six months study period.

experimental arm

Best Standarard of Care OTHER

Control arm: no treatment over 3 months from randomization. PERT from third month untill last visit in sixt month

Also known as: creon 35.000 Ph.U (R)

control arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Pathologically confirmed unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic, pancreatic cancer.
• Tumour located in the head of the pancreas.
• Dilated main pancreatic duct confirmed by imaging methods (CT scan, MRI and/or EUS).
• Significant weight loss (≥5% of the usual body weight) at screening.
• Life expectancy of at least six months at screening.
• Signed informed consent to the study.

You may not qualify if:

• Hypersensitivity to pancreatin of porcine origin or to any of the excipients.
• Patients on neoadjuvant therapy, or in whom neoadjuvant therapy is planned.
• Patients already on PERT.
• Prior history of upper gastrointestinal or pancreatic surgery.
• Short life expectancy (shorter than 6 months).
• Patients on second line or beyond chemotherapy (those who failed with first line chemotherapy therapy).
• Patients in whom a pancreatic stent has been placed.
• Unsolved gastric outlet obstruction.
• Unwillingness to participate in the study.
• Inability to comply with the study visits and study protocol, whatever the reason.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hospital Clinico Universitario de Santiago: lead
• Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra: collaborator
• Karolinska Institutet: collaborator
• San Raffaele University Hospital, Italy: collaborator
• Beaujon Hospital: collaborator

Study Sites (4)

Istituto di Ricovero e Cura Carattere Scientifico San Raffaele

Milan, Milan, 20132, Italy

RECRUITING

University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela, A Coruna, 15706, Spain

RECRUITING

Hospital Universitario de Navarra

Pamplona, Navarre, 31008, Spain

RECRUITING

Karolinska Institutet

Stockholm, Stockholm County, 17177, Sweden

NOT YET RECRUITING

Central Study Contacts

J. Enrique Dominguez-Munoz, PhD, MD

CONTACT

+34981951364; juan.enrique.dominguez.munoz@sergas.es

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 4
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Prof. PhD. MD.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 19, 2023
• First Posted: October 25, 2023
• Study Start: February 20, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Last Updated: June 6, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Locations

IT (1); ES (2); SE (1)