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Neoadjuvant Folfirinox Combined With Pembrolizumab Followed by Surgery for Patients With Resectable Pancreatic Cancer

  • PhasePhase 2
  • StatusRecruiting
  • Planned enrollment30 people
  • Recruiting US sites3
  • SponsorBaylor College of Medicine
  • RegistryNCT05132504

Recruitment re-checked on ClinicalTrials.gov Oct 30, 2026. Public record; not medical advice.

Neoadjuvant Folfirinox Combined With Pembrolizumab Followed by Surgery for Patients With Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: a one-minute explainerNCT051325041 min

Eligibility

Who can join

The film gives the main points. The full list below is copied from the registry; the study team makes the final decision.

  • Age18 Years to no maximum
  • SexAll
  • Healthy volunteersNo

You may be able to join if

  • Patient is ≥18 years of age and has histologically or cytologically confirmed localized adenocarcinoma of the pancreas that is potentially resectable. Patients with islet cell or other neuroendocrine neoplasms are excluded.
  • Definition of localized, potentially resectable disease: a) Adequate CT or MRI to determine staging and eligibility based on radiologic interpretation. b) No extension to superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and hepatic artery. Patent superior mesenteric vein/portal vein (SMV/PV) with < 180-degree abutment and no evidence of invasion. c) Clear fat plane between the SMA and celiac axis. d) No extension to celiac axis and hepatic artery. e) Patent superior mesenteric vein and portal vein. f) No evidence of distant metastatic disease 3. If a female patient is of childbearing potential, she must have a negative urine pregnancy test documented within 72 hours of first intervention. 4. Fertile participants must use contraception considered adequate and appropriate as stated in Appendix 3 (pages 61-62).
  • Male participants: A male participant must agree to use contraception as detailed in Appendix 3 of this protocol during the treatment period and for at least 220 days after the last dose of study treatment and refrain from donating sperm during this period.
  • Patient must not have received prior chemotherapy or radiation for pancreatic cancer. 7. Patient has an ECOG performance status PS 0-1. 8. Patient has been informed about the nature of the study, and has agreed to participate in the study, and signed the Informed Consent Form before participation in any study-related activities.
  • A female participant is eligible to participate if:
  • a. Not a woman of childbearing potential (WOCBP) as defined in Appendix 3 (pages 61-62). OR b. A WOCBP who is not pregnant, not breastfeeding, and agreeing to use proper contraception defined by the protocol (Appendix 3 [pages 61 - 62] and Table 18 [page 63]) for at least 160 days after the last dose of study treatment.
  • Have adequate organ function as defined in the following table (Table 3). Specimens must be collected within 14 days before the start of interventions.
  • Hematological Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1500/μL Platelets ≥100 000/μL Hemoglobin ≥9.0 g/dL or ≥5.6 mmol/La Renal Creatinine OR Measured or calculated creatinine clearance (GFR can also be used in place of creatinine or CrCl) ≤1.5 × ULN OR ≥30 mL/min for participant with creatinine levels >1.5 × institutional ULN Hepatic Total bilirubin ≤1.5 ×ULN OR direct bilirubin ≤ULN for participants with total bilirubin levels >1.5 × ULN AST (SGOT) and ALT (SGPT) ≤2.5 × ULN (≤5 × ULN for participants with liver metastases) Coagulation International normalized ratio (INR) OR prothrombin time (PT) Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) ≤1.5 × ULN unless participant is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or aPTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants

You cannot join if

  • Patient has borderline resectable, locally advanced unresectable, or advanced metastatic disease. Patients with neuroendocrine tumors, adenosquamous cancer, lymphoma of the pancreas, or ampullary cancer are also ineligible.
  • Patient has active, uncontrolled bacterial, viral, or fungal infection(s) requiring systemic therapy.
  • Patient has known infection with HIV.
  • Patient has undergone major surgery, other than diagnostic surgery (-e.g. diagnostic laparoscopy or placement of a central venous catheter), within 4 weeks before registration.
  • Patient has a history of allergy or hypersensitivity to the study drugs.
  • Patient has serious medical risk factors involving any of the major organ systems such that the Investigator considers it unsafe for the patient to receive chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
  • Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or has required active treatment within the past 2 years. Participants with basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or carcinoma in situ (eg, breast carcinoma, cervical cancer in situ) that have undergone potentially curative therapy are not excluded.
  • Patient has had clinically significant cardiovascular disease (including myocardial infarction, unstable angina, symptomatic congestive heart failure, serious uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia) ≤ 1 year before registration.
  • Patient is unwilling or unable to comply with study procedures.
  • Patient is enrolled in any other therapeutic clinical protocol or investigational trial.
  • Patients aged ≥ 80 are not excluded. However, candidates in this age group should be thoroughly evaluated before registration in the study, to ensure they are fit to receive chemotherapy, and to potentially undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy. In addition to meeting all of the baseline patient selection criteria, clinical judgment on their susceptibility to infection and expected stability of their performance status and suitability to receive intensive chemotherapy cycles, should be paid special attention to. Patients should not be enrolled in the study should there be any hesitation on any of these considerations. Baseline criteria for all patients enrolled in the study must be carefully evaluated and all criteria followed appropriately.
  • Patient has evidence of peripheral neuropathy Grade 2 or higher.
  • A WOCBP who has a positive urine pregnancy test within 72 hours prior to first intervention (see Appendix 3). If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a second urine pregnancy test will be required. In the event that 72 hours have elapsed between the screening pregnancy test and the first dose of study treatment, another urine pregnancy test must be performed and must be negative in order for the subject to start receiving study medication.
  • Has received prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-PD-L2 agent or with an agent directed to another stimulatory or co-inhibitory T-cell receptor (eg, CTLA-4, OX-40, CD137).
  • Has received a live vaccine or live-attenuated vaccine within 30 days prior to the first dose of study drug.
  • Is currently participating in or has participated in a study of an investigational agent or has used an investigational device within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of study intervention.
  • Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving chronic systemic steroid therapy (in dosing exceeding 10 mg daily of prednisone equivalent) or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of study drug.
  • Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years (i.e. with use of disease-modifying agents, corticosteroids, or immunosuppressive drugs). Replacement therapy (eg., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is not considered a form of systemic treatment and is allowed.
  • Has a history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis/interstitial lung disease that required steroids or has current pneumonitis/interstitial lung disease.
  • Has a known history of Hepatitis B (defined as Hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] reactive) or known active Hepatitis C virus (defined as detectable HCV by RNA) infection. Note: no testing for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C is required unless mandated by local health authorities.
  • Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the study, interfere with the participant's participation for the full duration of the study, or is not in the best interest of the participant to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator.
  • Has known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial.
  • Has had an allogenic tissue/solid organ transplant.

The treatment

How it is intended to work

This is how the treatment is meant to work. Whether it helps, and how safe it is, is what this trial is testing.

pembrolizumab. A humanized monoclonal immunoglobulin (Ig) G4 antibody directed against human cell surface receptor PD-1 (programmed death-1 or programmed cell death-1) with potential immune checkpoint inhibitory and antineoplastic activities. Upon administration, pembrolizumab binds to PD-1, an inhibitory signaling receptor expressed on the surface of activated T cells, and blocks the binding to and activation of PD-1 by its ligands, which results in the activation of T-cell-mediated immune responses against tumor cells. The ligands for PD-1 include programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), overexpressed on certain cancer cells, and programmed cell death ligand 2 (PD-L2), which is primarily expressed on APCs. Activated PD-1 negatively regulates T-cell activation and plays a key role in in tumor evasion from host immunity. NCI Drug Dictionary

Treatments listed in the registry

  • Pembrolizumab (Drug): Pembrolizumab will be initiated starting with the Cycle 2 Day 1 and will be administered every 6 weeks with a max amount of 9 cycles throughout the study.
  • Folfirinox (Drug): Once eligibility has been confirmed and the patient has been registered to the study, the patient will begin induction modified FOLFIRINOX (Oxaliplatin, Leucovorin, Irinotecan, 5-Fluorouracil) chemotherapy treatment. Each cycle is 14 days; a total of six cycles will be administered. Patients will receive growth factor support at the discretion of treating physician.

The study

Treatment groups

Na · Single Group · masking: None

Neoadjuvant Folfirinox and Pembrolizumab followed by sx for patients with pancreatic cancer (Experimental)

Patients will receive 6 cycles of Folfirinox (Oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2, Leucovorin 400 mg/m2, Irinotecan 150 mg/m2, 5-Fluorouracil 2,400 mg/m2) with 2 cycles of Pembrolizumab 400 mg before surgical resection. Following surgery patients will receive 5-Fluorouracil based chemotherapy for up to 6 cycles with 7 more cycles of Pembrolizumab. Patients will receive a total of 9 doses of Q6week cycles of Pembrolizumab.

What it involves

Procedures

As the registry describes them. Requirements to join, such as a tissue sample, are in the eligibility list above even when on-study procedures are optional. Ask the study team which steps apply to you.

  • surgery: Part of the study plan

Goals

What the study measures

Main goals

  • Determine if the neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy followed by pembrolizumab followed by surgery will improve the overall response rate (ORR) for patients with localized, resectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. (3 years)

Other goals

  • Estimate the effect of combination neoadjuvant therapy on the R0 resection rate
  • Determine if the addition of pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant mFOLFIRINOX leads to improved CD8+ T cell frequencies in resected tumor samples in comparison to archived matched controls from patients meeting the same I/E criteria as those in the study.
  • Estimate the effect of combined neoadjuvant therapy on relapse-free survival, time to recurrence and overall survival.
  • Report of safety profile

Planned enrollment: 30 (estimated).

Where

Recruiting US sites

  • Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
  • Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center (BSLMC)., Houston, Texas
  • Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas

Site status as of Oct 30, 2026. Check the live record before contacting a site.

Background research

Papers linked by the registry

These papers are listed in the registry record. Unless a paper is marked as about this trial, it is background research on the treatment or disease, not results from this study.

Sources

Where this comes from

Registry record reviewed as fetched Oct 30, 2026, last updated by the sponsor Aug 3, 2026. Public record; not medical advice.

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