Testing a Breast Cancer Drug for Other Advanced Solid Tumors

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Can a drug that is known to be effective against hormone-driven advanced breast cancer slow the growth of other solid advanced tumors, including pancreatic cancer?

Researchers are testing a new class of drug being used for breast cancer, to see if it will work on other solid tumors, including lung, colorectal, bladder, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers.

A New Type of a Breast Cancer Drug

Palbociclib is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor. It blocks some of the enzymes that are needed for cancer cells to multiply. Palbociclib is the first of its class to be approved for use against cancer. Cisplatin and carboplatin are platinum-based chemotherapy drugs that bind to the DNA and block the rapid increase in cancer cells. Since cancer cells multiply faster than normal cells, platinum agents preferentially kill cancer cells. However, to a lesser extent they also kill normal cells, causing side effects. Cisplatin causes significant side effects, while carboplatin is usually better tolerated.

An Open Trial for Treatment

The participants in this trial will be divided into two groups. Both groups will receive palbociclib—the drug being tested—but one group will get cisplatin along with it, and the other group will get carboplatin. Researchers are looking at how well the drug combination is tolerated and the side effects that occur; they will also assess the effectiveness of the combinations.

We encourage you to consult your physicians for clinical trials that may be right for you. The website ClinicalTrials.gov provides more details about this trial as well as many others. You can visit the Let’s Win Trial Finder for a listing of all active pancreatic cancer clinical trials.

This trial is active but no longer recruiting

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