Neoadjuvant vs Upfront Surgery for Resectable Pancreatic Cancer and Periampullary Cancer
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Followed by Surgery Versus Upfront Surgery for Clearly Resectable Pancreatic Head Cancer and Periampullary Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial
1 other identifier
interventional
262
1 country
1
Brief Summary
Adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery significantly improved the survival of pancreatic cancer (PC) patients, but there is a problem that only about 50% of patients start adjuvant chemotherapy after pancreatectomy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy might control potential metastatic lesions which are not being detected in early disease status and improve the R0 resection rate. In addition, it prevents futile surgery by selecting patients with rapid progression of disease. Furthermore, compared to chemotherapy administered after surgery, more patients can complete the planned chemotherapy schedule in neoadjuvant setting. There are still few studies worldwide that prospectively explored the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in resectable PC and periampullary cancer and the administration of neoadjuvant therapy in resectable PC depends on individual clinical judgment. Therefore, systematic and prospective clinical trials are essential to standardize treatment protocol in resectable PC and periampullary Cancer. This randomized controlled trial compares neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery versus upfront surgery for patients with clearly resectable pancreatic head cancer and periampullary cancer. The study aims to determine if neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves overall survival compared to immediate surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P50-P75 for phase_3
Started Jul 2025
Typical duration for phase_3
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
July 4, 2025
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
July 20, 2025
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
July 23, 2025
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
July 20, 2028
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
August 20, 2028
August 29, 2025
August 1, 2025
3 years
July 4, 2025
August 24, 2025
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Overall survival rate
Overall survival will be measured as the time between date of randomization and date of death from any cause or date of last follow-up if alive.
Up to 3 years.
Secondary Outcomes (16)
Disease-free survival (DFS)
Up to 3 years post-procedure.
Local recurrence rate
Up to 3 years post-procedure.
Recurrence rate
Up to 3 years post-procedure.
Time to locoregional recurrence (TLR)
Up to 3 years post-procedure.
Response rate in neoadjuvant setting
12 to 16 weeks.
- +11 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (2)
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy group (mFOLFIRINOX)
EXPERIMENTALNeoadjuvant chemotherapy(mFOLFIRINOX) followed by pancreaticoduodenectomy
Upfront Surgery Group
ACTIVE COMPARATORPancreaticoduodenectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy
Interventions
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (mFOLFIRINOX) followed by pancreaticoduodenectomy
Pancreaticoduodenectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Histologically or cytologically confirmed pancreatic head cancer or periampullary carcinoma(endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided biopsy).
- Clearly resectable disease as defined by National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) criteria on cross-sectional imaging:
- No involvement or abutment of the celiac artery, common hepatic artery, superior mesenteric artery, or replaced right hepatic artery .
- Less than 180 degree interface between tumor and vessel wall of the portal vein or superior mesenteric vein, and patent portal vein/splenic vein confluence No evidence of metastatic disease.
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)=0-1 \& American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score \<4.
- Written informed consent.
- Medical history without previous pancreatic resection or pancreatic cancer.
- Adequate organ function (liver, kidney, bone marrow) (serum creatinine ≤2.0 mg/dL,reference range 0.5-1.20 mg/dL; serum albumin ≥2.5 g/dL, reference range 3.5-5.3; aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤95 U/L, reference range 0-38; Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤102 U/L, reference range 0-41; prothrombin time ≤1.8, reference range 0-1.20; partial thromboplastin time ≤1.8, reference range 0.82-1.25; leukocyte count greater than 3.5×109/L, reference range 4.2-9.0; platelet count greater than 100×109/L, reference range 130-400; hemoglobin ≥9 g/dL, reference range 12-16).
You may not qualify if:
- Borderline resectable or locally advanced pancreatic or periampullary cancer.
- Tumor at the body or tail of the pancreas.
- Distant metastases.
- Prior chemotherapy , surgery or radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer.
- Severe comorbidities precluding surgery or chemotherapy.
- Pregnancy or lactation.
- Other neoplastic diseases (malignant)diagnosed in the past 5 years.
- Major surgery or traumatic event in the past 28 days.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- Minia Universitylead
Study Sites (1)
Liver and GIT hospital , Minia University
Minya, Minya Governorate, 61519, Egypt
Related Publications (22)
Evans DB. The Complexity of Neoadjuvant Therapy for Operable Pancreatic Cancer: Lessons Learned From SWOG S1505. Ann Surg. 2020 Sep 1;272(3):487. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000004131. No abstract available.
PMID: 32657915BACKGROUNDMurphy JE, Wo JY, Ryan DP, Jiang W, Yeap BY, Drapek LC, Blaszkowsky LS, Kwak EL, Allen JN, Clark JW, Faris JE, Zhu AX, Goyal L, Lillemoe KD, DeLaney TF, Fernandez-Del Castillo C, Ferrone CR, Hong TS. Total Neoadjuvant Therapy With FOLFIRINOX Followed by Individualized Chemoradiotherapy for Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A Phase 2 Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2018 Jul 1;4(7):963-969. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2018.0329.
PMID: 29800971BACKGROUNDGolcher H, Brunner TB, Witzigmann H, Marti L, Bechstein WO, Bruns C, Jungnickel H, Schreiber S, Grabenbauer GG, Meyer T, Merkel S, Fietkau R, Hohenberger W. Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy with gemcitabine/cisplatin and surgery versus immediate surgery in resectable pancreatic cancer: results of the first prospective randomized phase II trial. Strahlenther Onkol. 2015 Jan;191(1):7-16. doi: 10.1007/s00066-014-0737-7. Epub 2014 Sep 25.
PMID: 25252602BACKGROUNDCasadei R, Di Marco M, Ricci C, Santini D, Serra C, Calculli L, D'Ambra M, Guido A, Morselli-Labate AM, Minni F. Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy and Surgery Versus Surgery Alone in Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: A Single-Center Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial Which Failed to Achieve Accrual Targets. J Gastrointest Surg. 2015 Oct;19(10):1802-12. doi: 10.1007/s11605-015-2890-4. Epub 2015 Jul 30.
PMID: 26224039BACKGROUNDGoetze TO, Reichart A, Bankstahl US, Pauligk C, Loose M, Kraus TW, Elshafei M, Bechstein WO, Trojan J, Behrend M, Homann N, Venerito M, Bohle W, Varvenne M, Bolling C, Behringer DM, Kratz-Albers K, Siegler GM, Hozaeel W, Al-Batran SE. Adjuvant Gemcitabine Versus Neoadjuvant/Adjuvant FOLFIRINOX in Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: The Randomized Multicenter Phase II NEPAFOX Trial. Ann Surg Oncol. 2024 Jun;31(6):4073-4083. doi: 10.1245/s10434-024-15011-7. Epub 2024 Mar 8.
PMID: 38459418BACKGROUNDGillen S, Schuster T, Meyer Zum Buschenfelde C, Friess H, Kleeff J. Preoperative/neoadjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of response and resection percentages. PLoS Med. 2010 Apr 20;7(4):e1000267. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000267.
PMID: 20422030BACKGROUNDArtinyan A, Anaya DA, McKenzie S, Ellenhorn JD, Kim J. Neoadjuvant therapy is associated with improved survival in resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Cancer. 2011 May 15;117(10):2044-9. doi: 10.1002/cncr.25763. Epub 2010 Nov 18.
PMID: 21523715BACKGROUNDMokdad AA, Minter RM, Zhu H, Augustine MM, Porembka MR, Wang SC, Yopp AC, Mansour JC, Choti MA, Polanco PM. Neoadjuvant Therapy Followed by Resection Versus Upfront Resection for Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis. J Clin Oncol. 2017 Feb 10;35(5):515-522. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2016.68.5081. Epub 2016 Sep 30.
PMID: 27621388BACKGROUNDLee YS, Lee JC, Yang SY, Kim J, Hwang JH. Neoadjuvant therapy versus upfront surgery in resectable pancreatic cancer according to intention-to-treat and per-protocol analysis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2019 Oct 30;9(1):15662. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-52167-9.
PMID: 31666626BACKGROUNDBradley A, Van Der Meer R. Upfront Surgery versus Neoadjuvant Therapy for Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2019 Mar 13;9(1):4354. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-40951-6.
PMID: 30867522BACKGROUNDYe M, Zhang Q, Chen Y, Fu Q, Li X, Bai X, Liang T. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for primary resectable pancreatic cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. HPB (Oxford). 2020 Jun;22(6):821-832. doi: 10.1016/j.hpb.2020.01.001. Epub 2020 Jan 27.
PMID: 32001139BACKGROUNDAdam MA, Nassour I, Hoehn R, Hlavin CA, Bahary N, Bartlett DL, Lee KKW, Zureikat AH, Paniccia A. Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Lessens the Deleterious Effect of Omission of Adjuvant Chemotherapy. Ann Surg Oncol. 2021 Jul;28(7):3800-3807. doi: 10.1245/s10434-020-09446-x. Epub 2021 Jan 1.
PMID: 33386547BACKGROUNDBirrer DL, Golcher H, Casadei R, Haile SR, Fritsch R, Hussung S, Brunner TB, Fietkau R, Meyer T, Grutzmann R, Merkel S, Ricci C, Ingaldi C, Di Marco M, Guido A, Serra C, Minni F, Pestalozzi B, Petrowsky H, DeOliveira M, Bechstein WO, Bruns CJ, Oberkofler CE, Puhan M, Lesurtel M, Heinrich S, Clavien PA. Neoadjuvant Therapy for Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: A New Standard of Care. Pooled Data From 3 Randomized Controlled Trials. Ann Surg. 2021 Nov 1;274(5):713-720. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005126.
PMID: 34334656BACKGROUNDGhanem I, Lora D, Herradon N, de Velasco G, Carretero-Gonzalez A, Jimenez-Varas MA, Vazquez de Parga P, Feliu J. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy versus upfront surgery for resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. ESMO Open. 2022 Jun;7(3):100485. doi: 10.1016/j.esmoop.2022.100485. Epub 2022 May 14.
PMID: 35580504BACKGROUNDvan Dam JL, Janssen QP, Besselink MG, Homs MYV, van Santvoort HC, van Tienhoven G, de Wilde RF, Wilmink JW, van Eijck CHJ, Groot Koerkamp B; Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Group. Neoadjuvant therapy or upfront surgery for resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Eur J Cancer. 2022 Jan;160:140-149. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2021.10.023. Epub 2021 Nov 24.
PMID: 34838371BACKGROUNDVersteijne E, Suker M, Groothuis K, Akkermans-Vogelaar JM, Besselink MG, Bonsing BA, Buijsen J, Busch OR, Creemers GM, van Dam RM, Eskens FALM, Festen S, de Groot JWB, Groot Koerkamp B, de Hingh IH, Homs MYV, van Hooft JE, Kerver ED, Luelmo SAC, Neelis KJ, Nuyttens J, Paardekooper GMRM, Patijn GA, van der Sangen MJC, de Vos-Geelen J, Wilmink JW, Zwinderman AH, Punt CJ, van Eijck CH, van Tienhoven G; Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Group. Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy Versus Immediate Surgery for Resectable and Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: Results of the Dutch Randomized Phase III PREOPANC Trial. J Clin Oncol. 2020 Jun 1;38(16):1763-1773. doi: 10.1200/JCO.19.02274. Epub 2020 Feb 27.
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PMID: 30575490BACKGROUNDSnyder RA, Parikh AA. Actual Survival in Patients with Resected Pancreatic Cancer: How Do Real-World Data Compare with Clinical Trial Evidence? Ann Surg Oncol. 2021 Dec;28(13):8014-8016. doi: 10.1245/s10434-021-10532-x. Epub 2021 Sep 12. No abstract available.
PMID: 34514521BACKGROUNDvan Dam JL, Verkolf EMM, Dekker EN, Bonsing BA, Bratlie SO, Brosens LAA, Busch OR, van Driel LMJW, van Eijck CHJ, Feshtali S, Ghorbani P, de Groot DJA, de Groot JWB, Haberkorn BCM, de Hingh IH, van der Holt B, Karsten TM, van der Kolk MB, Labori KJ, Liem MSL, Loosveld OJL, Molenaar IQ, Polee MB, van Santvoort HC, de Vos-Geelen J, Wumkes ML, van Tienhoven G, Homs MYV, Besselink MG, Wilmink JW, Groot Koerkamp B; Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Group. Perioperative or adjuvant mFOLFIRINOX for resectable pancreatic cancer (PREOPANC-3): study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial. BMC Cancer. 2023 Aug 7;23(1):728. doi: 10.1186/s12885-023-11141-5.
PMID: 37550634BACKGROUNDLabori KJ, Bratlie SO, Andersson B, Angelsen JH, Biorserud C, Bjornsson B, Bringeland EA, Elander N, Garresori H, Gronbech JE, Haux J, Hemmingsson O, Liljefors MG, Myklebust TA, Nymo LS, Peltola K, Pfeiffer P, Sallinen V, Sandstrom P, Sparrelid E, Stenvold H, Soreide K, Tingstedt B, Verbeke C, Ohlund D, Klint L, Dueland S, Lassen K; Nordic Pancreatic Cancer Trial-1 study group. Neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX versus upfront surgery for resectable pancreatic head cancer (NORPACT-1): a multicentre, randomised, phase 2 trial. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024 Mar;9(3):205-217. doi: 10.1016/S2468-1253(23)00405-3. Epub 2024 Jan 15.
PMID: 38237621BACKGROUND
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Saleh K Saleh, MD
Minia University
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- phase 3
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Lecturer
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
July 4, 2025
First Posted
July 23, 2025
Study Start
July 20, 2025
Primary Completion (Estimated)
July 20, 2028
Study Completion (Estimated)
August 20, 2028
Last Updated
August 29, 2025
Record last verified: 2025-08
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share