In patients with resectable pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma (PDAC), curative surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy is currently the standard of care. However, the long-term results are still poor, with median disease-free and overall survival of 14 months and 23 months. The corresponding 5-year overall survival rate is 20%.

Chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) allows identification of patients with rapidly progressive metastatic disease at time of preoperative restaging (surgery is then avoided in these patients), and may increase the rate of free margin resection (R0) and reduce the risk of local recurrence.

Even though single-agent gemcitabine and 5-FU have been validated in adjuvant and metastatic settings, the objective response was low (at around 10%), whereas combination chemotherapy exceeds a response rate of 30% in advanced disease. In metastatic PDAC, palliative FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy has been demonstrated to be effective (in terms of response rates and progression-free survival) and well tolerated. Interestingly, the response rate is increased by using more than two chemotherapeutic agents in advanced pancreatic cancer, justifying the use of an alternative neoadjuvant FOLFOX-based chemotherapy arm.

PANACHE-01 is an open, non-comparative, randomised, multicentre Phase II study designed to assess the safety and efficacy of two modes of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (FOLFIRINOX & FOLFOX) relative to the current reference treatment (surgery and then adjuvant chemotherapy) for resectable PDAC.

Patients with immediately resectable PDAC (definition based on the NCCN's (American National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2014) latest guidelines) will be randomised to either pancreatectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy or 4 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with either FOLFOX or FOLFIRINOX. The patients in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy arms will receive postoperative chemotherapy for 4 months (8 cycles).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Histology-proven, adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.
• Resectable adenocarcinoma (according to the NCCN classification 2014): absence of distant organ or distal lymph node metastases, absence of evidence of superior mesenteric vein (SMV) and portal vein distortion, tumour thrombus, or venous encasement, the existence of clear fat planes around the celiac axis, hepatic artery and superior mesenteric artery (SMA). Resectability is evaluated on arterial-phase and portal-phase IV contrast-enhanced multislice CT-scan of the pancreas (slice thickness: 2.5 mm), as evaluated in a multidisciplinary staff meeting including at least one radiologist and one expert surgeon.
• No prior chemotherapy.
• Age 18 years or over.
• Ability to understand and willingness to consent to formal requirements for study participation
• Provision of written informed consent prior to any study-specific screening procedures.

Exclusion Criteria:

• PDAC defined as "borderline", locally advanced, non-resectable or metastatic.
• Prior cancer therapy for PDAC
• Surgical or anaesthesiological contra-indications: non-controlled congestive heart failure - non-treated angina - recent myocardial infarction (in the previous year) - non-controlled arterial hypertension (SBP >160 mm or DBP > 100 mm, despite optimal drug treatment), long QT, major non-controlled infection, severe liver failure.
• Any medical, psychological or social situation that (in the investigator's opinion) could limit (i) the patient's compliance with the protocol or (ii) the ability to obtain or interpret data.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women and women of child-bearing age not using effective means of contraception.
• History or current evidence on physical examination of central nervous system disease or peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 1, according to according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v.4.0.
• Known hypersensitivity reaction to any of the components of study treatments.
• Pregnancy (the absence of which must be confirmed in a ß-hCG test) or breast-feeding.
• Any significant disease which, in the investigator's opinion, would exclude the patient from the study.
• Patients having been included in a clinical trial within the previous 4 weeks or participating in another trial.