MRI-guided chemotherapy for borderline-resectable pancreatic cancer

DCE-MRI guided Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer

['FUNDING_R01'] · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · NIH-11385517

This project uses special MRI scans to help pick the best pre-surgery chemotherapy for people whose pancreatic tumor is touching nearby vessels but might be removable after treatment.

Quick facts

Phase['FUNDING_R01']
Study typeNih_funding
SexAll
SponsorOHIO STATE UNIVERSITY (nih funded)
Locations1 site (Columbus, UNITED STATES)
Trial IDNIH-11385517 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this research studies

If you have borderline-resectable pancreatic cancer, researchers will use dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE‑MRI) before and during neoadjuvant chemotherapy to measure changes in tumor blood flow that can signal response. The team developed a small portable perfusion phantom (P4) to make those MRI measurements more reliable across scans. You would receive one of the commonly used chemotherapy regimens and have serial DCE‑MRI scans to watch for early perfusion changes before the tumor shrinks visibly. The scans and phantom aim to tell clinicians sooner whether a treatment is working so surgical plans can be made earlier.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: People with borderline-resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma who are planned for neoadjuvant chemotherapy and can safely undergo contrast-enhanced MRI are the ideal candidates.

Not a fit: Patients with widely metastatic or clearly unresectable pancreatic cancer, those who cannot receive MRI or MRI contrast, or those not receiving neoadjuvant therapy are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could let doctors identify responding patients earlier so more people can proceed to potentially curative surgery.

How similar studies have performed: Prior work shows perfusion MRI can reveal early tumor response in some cancers but has been limited by measurement variability, and using a portable phantom for standardization is a newer approach.

Where this research is happening

Columbus, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.

View on NIH RePORTER →

Last reviewed 2026-05-15 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.