Trying Targeted Treatments Used for Other Cancers

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University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability; Flickr

Can new drugs approved for use in certain melanoma, colorectal, and breast cancers be effective against pancreatic cancer?

A novel class of drugs called kinase inhibitors are the focus of a clinical trial for advanced pancreatic cancer and advanced colorectal cancer that is positive for the KRAS mutation.

Kinase Inhibitors Target Different Types of Tumors

Kinase inhibitors block some of the enzymes that are needed for cancer cells to multiply. Trametinib is approved for use in cancers with certain mutations, including the KRAS mutation, which is found in melanoma, colorectal cancer, and 95 percent of pancreatic cancers. Ribociclib is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor currently approved for use in hormone-driven breast cancer.

Testing Safety and Effectiveness

All participants in this trial will receive both drugs being tested. Researchers are looking for the safety and effectiveness of the drug combination, as well as how long patients’ cancers respond to the treatment.

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 EmergingMed Trial Finder for a listing of all active pancreatic cancer clinical trials.

This trial has been terminated. To learn more about kinase inhibitor trials read “Testing a Breast Cancer Drug for Other Advanced Solid Tumors,” “Focusing on a Drug that Treats Specific Tumor Mutations,” and “Testing a Signal-Inhibiting Drug on Tumors with Specific Mutations.”