Randomized phase II clinical trial of adriamycin, methotrexate, and actinomycin‐d in advanced measurable pancreatic carcinoma. A gastrointestinal tumor study group report

• Published in: Cancer 1978-07, Vol.42 (1), p.19-22
• Main Authors: Schein, Philip S., Lavin, Philip T., Moertel, Charles G., Frytak, Stephen, Hahn, Richard G., O'Connell, Michael J., Reitemeier, Richard J., Rubin, Joseph, Schutt, Allen J., Weiland, Louis H., Kalser, M., Barkin, J., Lessner, H., Mann‐Kaplan, R., Redlhammer, D., Silverman, M., Troner, M., Douglass, H. O., Milliron, S., Lokich, J., Brooks, J., Chaffe, J., Like, A., Zamcheck, N., Ramming, K., Bateman, J., Spiro, H., Livstone, E., Knowlton, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Bone Marrow - drug effects; Clinical Trials as Topic; Dactinomycin - adverse effects; Dactinomycin - therapeutic use; Doxorubicin - adverse effects; Doxorubicin - therapeutic use; Drug Evaluation; Female; Humans; Male; Methotrexate - adverse effects; Methotrexate - therapeutic use; Middle Aged; Pancreatic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Remission, Spontaneous; Time Factors
• ISSN: 0008-543X; 1097-0142
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-0142(197807)42:1<19::AID-CNCR2820420103>3.0.CO;2-4

Sixty‐six patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma were randomized to receive single agent chemotherapy with either adriamycin, methotrexate, or actinomycin‐D using conventional dose, route and schedule of administration. All patients had measurable lesions which were used for objective assessment of response. For adriamycin, 2 of 25 patients (8%) evidenced a partial response (2 of 15 (13%) previously untreated patients). One of 25 patients treated with methotrexate and one of 28 who received actinomycin‐D responded. The duration of responses ranged from 43–64 days for those patients with no chemotherapy prior to study entry. The median survival of patients who received adriamycin as initial treatment was 12 weeks compared to 8 weeks for methotrexate and 6 weeks for actinomycin‐D therapy.