Intensive pre-surgery treatment for borderline and locally advanced pancreatic cancer
Official title: Total Neoadjuvant Therapy (TNT) for Borderline Resectable and Locally Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Funded at Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research · NIH-11169814 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This gives strong combination chemotherapy followed by high-dose targeted radiation before surgery for people with borderline resectable or locally advanced pancreatic cancer to shrink tumors and make surgery possible.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $641,782 |
| NIH project number | 5P50CA257881-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11169814 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with borderline resectable or locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma involving major abdominal vessels who are fit enough for multi-drug chemotherapy and radiation are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with widely metastatic disease, those too frail for intensive chemo/radiation, or those with prior incompatible treatments are unlikely to benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
You would receive all planned systemic treatment before surgery, starting with four months of a three-drug chemotherapy regimen called NALIRIFOX. After chemotherapy you would get ablative-dose, highly focused radiation to the tumor before the surgical team re-evaluates whether the tumor can be removed. The trial team will collect blood and tumor samples to search for biological markers that predict who benefits or resists treatment. This phase II program is designed to increase the number of patients who can safely have curative surgery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could increase the number of people whose tumors shrink enough to permit curative surgery and reduce unnecessary operations.
How similar studies have gone: Pre-surgery (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy and radiation have shown promise in pancreatic cancer, but combining NALIRIFOX with ablative-dose radiation is a newer strategy being tested here.
Where this research is happening
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Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wei, Alice Chia- Chi — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Wei, Alice Chia- Chi
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Total Neoadjuvant Therapy for Borderline or Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
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New treatment approach for difficult-to-surgically-remove pancreatic cancer
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SOAT1 as a target in pancreatic cancer
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.