Abraxane improves survival in pancreatic cancer trial

Updated results of a phase III trial of chemotherapy drug Abraxane suggest that the treatment can extend overall survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Australian oncologist Professor Daniel Goldstein presented three-year overall survival data from the Phase III Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Clinical Trial (MPACT) trial at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Conference in San Francisco.

“This large, multinational trial in metastatic pancreatic cancer has demonstrated important three-year survival rates, with 4% of patients in the Abraxane plus gemcitabine arm alive after three years, compared to none in the gemcitabine alone arm, and a near 30% improvement in survival outcomes,” Goldstein said.

“This cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Australia for both men and women and typically patients diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer have a median life expectancy of approximately three to six months. These patients have very limited treatment options as there have been no new medications approved for metastatic pancreatic cancer in nearly seven years.”

Initial results from the 861 patient trial were presented one year ago.

Abraxane was developed by Abraxis BioScience (now part of Celgene) and is licensed in Australia by Specialised Therapeutics Australia (STA). It has TGA approval for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and first-line non-small cell lung cancer.

STA last year also filed for TGA approval and PBS registration for Abraxane in combination with gemcitabine for first-line treatment of locally advanced unresectable or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.