Safety Study of Targeted and Localized Intra-Arterial Delivery of Gemcitabine in Patients with Locally Advanced...

Purpose: This is a first-in-man safety study in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) using a targeted intra-arterial delivery catheter (RenovoCath™). Methods: Twenty patients were enrolled in a four-stage dose escalation of intra-arterial, locally delivered gemcitabine, at doses up to 1000 mg/m². Patients' symptoms and laboratory values were monitored for safety and tolerability. Secondary endpoints included the effect on tumor size, tumor markers, and survival. Results: One hundred one treatments were administered to 20 patients. Five patients dropped out early due to adverse events or withdrawing consent. Serious adverse events and complications were as follows: sepsis (n = 3), grade 3 neutropenia (n = 3), guide-mediated vascular dissection (n = 3), and pulmonary toxicity (n = 1). There were no cases of elevated liver or pancreatic enzymes. All sepsis cases occurred in patients with biliary stent/drains, prompting the addition of periprocedural treatment with antibiotics, which effectively prevented further sepsis in the study. Efficacy analysis was limited to 15 patients who received more than two treatments. Fifty-eight percent of these patients had a reduction in CA 19-9 tumor markers, 3 patients had tumor progression, 1 had partial response, and 11 showed disease stability. The survival rate at 12 months was 60%. Conclusions: The results demonstrate feasibility of localized and selective intra-arterial chemotherapy delivery to the pancreas utilizing the RenovoCath. With gemcitabine, this approach is safe, with the sole prerequisite of perioperative antibiotics for patients with prior biliary drainage/stent. Efficacy results suggest a survival benefit when compared to historical control, especially in patients with prior radiation therapy.