Outcomes of phase I clinical trials for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: Update of the MD Anderson Cancer Center experience

Background: In 2011, we reported the outcomes of pancreatic cancer (PC) patients enrolled in phase I trials at our institution from 2004 through 2009. At the time, gemcitabine and erlotinib were the only Food and Drug Administrationapproved drugs for PC and median overall survival (OS) from consultation in the phase I clinic was 5 months. We sought to determine the impact of novel therapeutics on PC patients in phase I trials. Methods: We reviewed records of PC patients treated in phase I trials at our institution from January 2009 through December 2014. Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Ninety-five patients were identified. The median age was 61 years (range, 40-84), 59% were men, and 41% had stage IV disease. The median OS from consultation in the phase I clinic was 5.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.5- 6.8), and the 1-year OS rate was 9% (95% CI, 4%-17%). Three patients had partial responses and 18 had stable disease ≥ 4 months. Conclusion: We observed no improvement in OS between PC patients enrolled in phase I trials in 2004-2009 and 2009-2015. To substantially improve OS in this challenging disease, improved patient selection and science-driven, innovative trial designs will be key.