Abraxane (NAB-Paclitaxel) + Gemcitabine
Abraxane is a modified version of an old chemotherapy drug called paclitaxel (Taxol). Paclitaxel was originally isolated from the bark of the Pacific Yew tree. It works by disrupting the "cytoskeleton" of dividing cells, a molecular scaffold that plays an important role in cell division. The remarkable success of paclitaxel in treating ovarian and breast cancers led to the devastation of the Pacific Yew population in the 1980's and 90's, until new means of synthesizing the drug were developed. Two drawbacks of paclitaxel are it's toxicity, and the fact that it is poorly solubility in water. Some of the toxicity are related to its function- cancer cells are not the only rapidly dividing cells in a person's body. The cells of the skin, hair, intestines, and immune system all divide very rapidly, and paclitaxle can kill these cells in addition to cancer cells. Moreover, in order to administer paclitaxel to patients, it is necessary to dissolve the compound in a substance called Cremophor EL, which itself is somewhat toxic. Together, the combination can make patients feel pretty sick.
Abraxane is a modern version of paclitaxel. The paclitaxel molecule is tethered to a very large protein called serum albumin. Albumin is the most abundant protein in the blood. Sticking paclitaxel onto albumin does two things- it makes helps paclitaxel to dissolve (so that Cremophor is no longer needed), and it helps the drug to distribute throughout the body.
MPACT is a Phase III trial for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Patients are randomized to two groups: either gemcitabine + placebo, or gemcitabine + Abraxane (gemcitabine is the current national standard of care therapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer patients). The primary endpoint is overall survival, meaning that the criterion used to determine that the trial was "successful" is whether patients live longer in the Abraxane arm compared to the control arm.
Abraxane is a modern version of paclitaxel. The paclitaxel molecule is tethered to a very large protein called serum albumin. Albumin is the most abundant protein in the blood. Sticking paclitaxel onto albumin does two things- it makes helps paclitaxel to dissolve (so that Cremophor is no longer needed), and it helps the drug to distribute throughout the body.
MPACT is a Phase III trial for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Patients are randomized to two groups: either gemcitabine + placebo, or gemcitabine + Abraxane (gemcitabine is the current national standard of care therapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer patients). The primary endpoint is overall survival, meaning that the criterion used to determine that the trial was "successful" is whether patients live longer in the Abraxane arm compared to the control arm.
POSITIVE news!
Any positive Phase III trial in pancreatic cancer is a BIG deal. Prior to that, there was only one successful Phase III trial in 15 years! Momentum is building...! Here's the pdf of the Phase III Trial: increased_survival_in_pancreatic_cancer_with_nab-paclitaxel_plus.pdf
