Patients in Liverpool are to trial a new therapy for pancreatic cancer – a disease which sees most sufferers die within a year of diagnosis.
One of the 10 most common cancers in the UK, it is among the most difficult to diagnose and treat and kills around 7,000 people each year. There are very few early symptoms so most patients present late and only around 15% are suitable for surgery.
The Phase III TeloVac trial has been designed by the Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Sub-Group of the UK National Cancer Research Institute and will be run by Cancer Research UK’s Liverpool Cancer Trials Unit.
Funded by Cancer Research UK, the trial will test the vaccine GV1001 alongside two chemotherapy drugs gemcitabine and capecitabine on patients with locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer. GV1001 is a new immunotherapeutic drug for pancreatic cancer developed by Danish-based biotech company Pharmexa.
One of the trial’s two principal investigators, Professor John Neoptolemos, based at the University of Liverpool and a consultant surgeon at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said: "The National Cancer Research Institute is very committed to this trial and is focusing a great deal of energy on recruiting patients to take part in it. This is because we firmly believe that GV1001 could play a key role in the future treatment of pancreatic cancer."
He added: "We’re proud to manage this fundamental trial at the Liverpool Cancer Trials Unit and we hope other centres in the UK will participate in order to achieve maximum benefit for patients suffering from locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer."
Chief Investigator Dr Gary Middleton from the Royal Surrey County Hospital, who is working alongside Professor Neoptolemos and Professor David Cunningham from the Royal Marsden Hospital, said: "We believe the future treatment of pancreatic cancer, as well as many other cancers, will include combinations of various chemotherapies together with biological and targeted therapies.
"GV1001 is a particularly attractive vaccine; the antigen that it targets is expressed on virtually all pancreatic cancer cells and the vaccine stimulates the production of all of the cells that are required for an effective immune attack upon these cancers. Adding it to the platform of chemotherapy is an exciting strategy which, if successful, would create a new standard of care in this disease."
Professor John Toy, Medical Director at Cancer Research UK, said: "New treatments are desperately needed for pancreatic cancer as survival rates are so poor. GV1001 is a new generation of agent that harnesses the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. We are delighted to be funding a trial of such an innovative treatment."
Patients with non-resectable pancreatic cancer will be randomly distributed into one of three arms of the trial:
- 370 patients will be treated with gemcitabine and capecitabine in a standard treatment
- 370 patients will be treated first with gemcitabine and capecitabine for eight weeks, following which they will be treated with GV1001
- 370 patients will be treated with gemcitabine and capecitabine and with GV1001 at the same time
The research team aims to find whether the patients treated with a combination of GV1001 and chemotherapy live longer than patients who only receive chemotherapy. It is not expected that GV1001 will cure patients, but that treatment will prolong their lives and that a small proportion of the patients may experience significantly longer survival.
The Liverpool Cancer Trials Unit is seeking to encourage centres throughout the UK to participate. For further information contact the Liverpool Cancer Trials Unit on 0151 794 8933 or email lctu@liv.ac.uk
Notes to editors
- The University of Liverpool is one of the UK's leading research institutions. It attracts collaborative and contract research commissions from a wide range of national and international organisations valued at more than £100 million annually.
- Cancer of the pancreas is one of the ten most common cancers in Britain, killing 7,000 people every year. It is amongst the most difficult to detect and treat. There are very few early symptoms and so most patients present late. Only 15% of patients are suitable for surgery - the only treatment available - and most sufferers die within a year of diagnosis.
- About Cancer Research UK:
- Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to beat cancer.
- Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research to improve understanding of the disease and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat different kinds of cancer.
- Cancer Research UK ensures that its findings are used to improve the lives of all cancer patients.
- Cancer Research UK helps people to understand cancer, the progress that is being made and the choices each person can make.
- Cancer Research UK works in partnership with others to achieve the greatest impact in the global fight against cancer. For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 020 7009 8820 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org
- About the NCRI: The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) was established in April 2001. It is a partnership between government, the voluntary sector and the private sector, with the primary mission of maximising patient benefit that accrues from cancer research in the UK through coordination of effort and joint planning towards an integrated national strategy for cancer research. Visit the NCRI website at: www.ncri.org.uk The NCRI consists of: The Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI); The Association for International Cancer Research; The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; Breakthrough Breast Cancer; Breast Cancer Campaign; Cancer Research UK; Department of Health; Economic and Social Research Council; Leukaemia Research Fund; Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research; Macmillan Cancer Support; Marie Curie Cancer Care; The Medical Research Council; Northern Ireland Health and Personal Social Services Research & Development Office; Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation; Scottish Executive Health Department; Tenovus; Wales Office of Research and Development for Health & Social Care; Wellcome Trust; and Yorkshire Cancer Research.
- Pharmexa A/S is a leading company in the field of active immunotherapy and vaccines for the treatment of cancer, serious chronic and infectious diseases. Pharmexa’s proprietary technology platforms are broadly applicable, allowing the company to address critical targets in cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, bone degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as serious infectious diseases such as HIV, influenza, hepatitis and malaria. Its leading programs are GV1001, a peptide vaccine that has entered phase III trials in pancreatic cancer and phase II trials in liver cancer, and HIV and hepatitis vaccines in phase I/II. Collaborative agreements include H. Lundbeck, Innogenetics, IDM Pharma, ImmunoVaccine Technologies and Bavarian Nordic. With operations in Denmark, Norway and USA, Pharmexa employs approximately 100 people and is listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange under the trading symbol PHARMX.