Dr. Kundranda on the Need for Novel Treatments in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Madappa Kundranda, MD, PhD, director, Gastrointestinal Oncology Program, deputy chief, Division of Medical Oncology, Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the need ​to develop novel treatments in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). 

​The current standards of care in PDAC are not sufficient, says Kundranda. As such, patients ​with PDAC, particularly those with a good performance status, should have the opportunity to participate in clinical trial​s.

​There are several ongoing trials ​in the pancreatic cancer paradigm, ​including the phase 3 NAPOLI-1 and AVENGER 500 studies, Kundranda explains. 

Furthermore, ​data evaluating the utility of ​neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX versus gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel ​(Abraxane) in patients with resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer were presented at the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program.

Ultimately, these data suggest that a triplet regimen might not be superior to a doublet, Kundranda concludes.