Targeting Inflammatory Response in Pancreatic Cancer

Modest improvements in survival have been achieved in metastatic pancreatic cancer with first-line FOLFIRINOX (oxaliplatin, irinotecan, fluorouracil, and leucovorin) or gemcitabine combination chemotherapy. However, there is no standard second-line agent for patients with disease progression after first-line therapy.

Now, investigators have conducted an industry-sponsored, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II trial to test the effectiveness of targeting the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway — which may promote inflammatory pathways and promote tumor progression in pancreatic cancer — in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who experienced disease progression …