A research team led by Associate Professor Isohei Satoi of the Department of Surgery, Kansai Medical University conducted clinical trials on patients with pancreatic cancer that had metastasized to the peritoneum.Announced that it was the first in the world to confirm its effectiveness.In addition, a paper summarizing the research results was published in the official journal "Annals of Surgery" of the American Society of Surgery on March 3.
The 5-year survival rate for all pancreatic cancers is said to be about 5%, which is one of the diseases with a high case fatality rate.Among them, pancreatic cancer that has metastasized to the peritoneum is difficult to control by usual chemotherapy, and an effective treatment method has not been established at present.
This time, the research team focused on intravenous injection and direct intraperitoneal administration of a drug called "S-1 + paclitaxel" and conducted a multicenter clinical trial (Phase 2).As a result, a good median survival time (MST: 16.3 months), a tumor shrinkage rate of 36%, and a resection rate of 24% were obtained.
When this treatment method is put into practical use, it is expected to alleviate intractable ascites, abdominal bloating, nutritional deficiency, etc., which often occur in patients with pancreatic cancer with peritoneal metastasis, and to prolong survival.
Currently, Phase 1/2 trials are underway for a new treatment method that combines intravenous gemcitabine and abraxane, which have been used as standard, with intraperitoneal administration of paclitaxel.In the future, it is planning a phase 1 clinical trial to expand the number of subjects and compare "S-3 + paclitaxel" with the standard treatment "gemcitabine + abraxane".In addition, paclitaxel and its intraperitoneal administration are not covered by insurance, and approval as an advanced medical treatment that can be used in combination with insurance medical treatment to reduce the burden is currently being applied for.
Associate Professor Satoi says, "We are aiming to improve the treatment results by making repeated efforts and to increase the 20-year survival rate to 5% in the next 30 years."
