A unique approach for cancer treatment employing intratumoral diffusing alpha radiation emitter device for advanced pancreatic cancer

This is a prospective, interventional, single-center, open label, single arm study. The study is designed to evaluate the feasibility and Safety of Intratumoral Diffusing Alpha Radiation Emitters for the Treatment of Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

The study will be comprised of a screening period, DaRT insertion visit, 3 months follow up per subject and 2 years for accrual and trial completion. The total duration of the study will be 24 months from the DaRT insertion procedure.

15 patients with a safety interim analysis after the 5 first patients . patients with advanced pancreatic cancer will be recruited by the investigational site.

Eligible patients who meet inclusion/exclusion criteria (as assessed during the screening period) will be invited to the site for the procedure of DaRT seeds insertion.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Histologically and/or cytologically proven NCCN locally advanced PC
• Patients must have i) received at least one line of chemotherapy (any kind) OR ii) are medically unfit for further chemotherapy, AND iii) the tumor is still not deemed as resectable with radical surgery, or the patient does not wish to go through surgery.
• DaRT indication validated by a multidisciplinary team.
• Measurable lesion per RECIST (version 1.1) criteria
• TC at Verona's center (not been over a month)
• Lesion size ≤ 5 cm in the longest diameter
• Age ≥18 years old
• ECOG Performance Status Scale ≤ 2
• Life expectancy is more than 6 months
• WBC ≥ 3500/μl, granulocyte ≥ 1500/μl
• Platelet count ≥60,000/μl
• Calculated or measured creatinine clearance ≥ 30cc/min. Calculated or measured creatinine clearance can be ≥ 40cc/min given stability of creatinine levels over the past three weeks (at least 1 test per week).
• AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 X upper limit of normal (ULN)
• INR < 1.4 for patients not on Warfarin
• Subjects are willing and able to sign an informed consent form
• Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) will have evidence of negative pregnancy test before the Ra-224 implantation and are required to use an acceptable contraceptive method to prevent pregnancy for 3 months after brachytherapy.
• Patients must agree to use adequate contraception (vasectomy or barrier method of birth control) prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation and for 3 months after discontinuing therapy.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Concomitant chemotherapy or immunotherapy within the past 4 weeks
• Prior radiation therapy to the pancreas
• CA 19-9 > 1000 Units/ml
• Fit for surgical exploration unless the patient refuses surgery
• Known hypersensitivity to any of the components of the treatment.
• Patients undergoing systemic immunosuppressive therapy excepting intermittent, brief use of systemic corticosteroids.
• Clinically significant cardiovascular disease, e.g. cardiac failure of New York Heart Association classes III-IV, uncontrolled coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, uncontrolled arrhythmia, uncontrolled hypertension, or history of myocardial infarction in the last 12 months.
• Patients with uncontrolled intercurrent illnesses including, but not limited to an active infection requiring systemic therapy (not including cholangitis) or a known psychiatric or substance abuse disorder(s) that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial or interfere with the study endpoints.
• Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment. Exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer.
• Patient requires treatment not specified in this protocol which may conflict with the endpoints of this study including evaluation of response or toxicity of DaRT.
• Patients do not agree to use adequate contraception (vasectomy or barrier method of birth control) prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation and for 3 months after discontinuing therapy.
• Volunteers participating in another interventional study in the past 30 days which might conflict with the endpoints of this study or the evaluation of response or toxicity of DaRT.
• High probability of protocol non-compliance (in opinion of investigator).
• Breastfeeding women or women of childbearing potential unwilling or unable to use an acceptable contraceptive method to prevent pregnancy for 3 months after RT.