Clinical trial · Interventional
Evaluation of Nelfinavir and Chemoradiation for Pancreatic Cancer
A Phase I/II Trial of the HIV Protease Inhibitor Nelfinavir and Concurrent Radiation and Chemotherapy in Patients With Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Why stopped (as posted): Toxicities, lack of funding
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
This study is designed to evaluate if nelfinavir works as a radiation sensitizer in combination with gemcitabine (a chemotherapy). We are also looking to establish the maximum dose of gemcitabine that is tolerated with the nelfinavir and radiation therapy, so the dose of gemcitabine is increased based on how previous trial participants tolerated their dose of gemcitabine.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pancreatic Neoplasms | Pancreatic Neoplasm | ONTOLOGY_EXACT | 0.98 |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemcitabine | Drug | Gemcitabine | ALIAS |
| Nelfinavir | Drug | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (1)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- phase 1/2
- description
- An escalating study of gemcitabine when combined with 1250 mg of nelfinavir twice daily. Dose of gemcitabine is increased for new subjects based on the experiences and tolerance of prior subjects. When the maximum tolerated dose is identified, a recommended phase 2 dose will be assigned and further subjects will receive that dose.
- interventionNames
- Drug: Nelfinavir
- Drug: Gemcitabine
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Dose limiting toxicities
- timeFrame
- Six weeks
- description
- Evaluating adverse events and their association to the treatment to determine the recommended phase II dose of gemcitabine.
Secondary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Surgical resection rate
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Closed to accrual.
References
Publications (4)
- BACKGROUNDPlastaras JP, Vapiwala N, Ahmed MS, Gudonis D, Cerniglia GJ, Feldman MD, Frank I, Gupta AK. Validation and toxicity of PI3K/Akt pathway inhibition by HIV protease inhibitors in humans. Cancer Biol Ther. 2008 May;7(5):628-35. doi: 10.4161/cbt.7.5.5728. Epub 2008 May 14. PMID 18285707
- BACKGROUNDGupta AK, Li B, Cerniglia GJ, Ahmed MS, Hahn SM, Maity A. The HIV protease inhibitor nelfinavir downregulates Akt phosphorylation by inhibiting proteasomal activity and inducing the unfolded protein response. Neoplasia. 2007 Apr;9(4):271-8. doi: 10.1593/neo.07124. PMID 17460771
- BACKGROUNDPore N, Gupta AK, Cerniglia GJ, Jiang Z, Bernhard EJ, Evans SM, Koch CJ, Hahn SM, Maity A. Nelfinavir down-regulates hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha and VEGF expression and increases tumor oxygenation: implications for radiotherapy. Cancer Res. 2006 Sep 15;66(18):9252-9. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-06-1239. PMID 16982770
- BACKGROUNDGupta AK, Cerniglia GJ, Mick R, McKenna WG, Muschel RJ. HIV protease inhibitors block Akt signaling and radiosensitize tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo. Cancer Res. 2005 Sep 15;65(18):8256-65. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-05-1220. PMID 16166302