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 Administration-approved 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.