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news.GenVec has reported encouraging findings from the dose-escalation portion of a phase II trial of TNFerade in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, showing dose-dependent improvements in tumor shrinkage and resectability and in patient survival.
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The results also showed a decrease in the levels of tumor marker CA 19-9 in patients who received TNFerade. In addition, the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) established during the dose-escalation portion of the phase II trial was generally well tolerated when administered in combination with standard chemotherapy and radiation.
“We believe that a very important aspect of this study was the high rate of surgical resection seen in patients treated with TNFerade at the MTD,” said Dr Paul Fischer, GenVec’s president and CEO. “In our study, five out of 11 (45%) of treated patients went on to have surgical resections after treatment with TNFerade, in contrast to the less than 5% seen in most studies. For patients this can be very important, since successful surgical resection is often linked to prolonged survival.”
TNFerade is a DNA carrier (adenovector) that contains the gene for TNF-alpha, a protein with potent and well-documented anticancer effects. It is now being tested in the 74-patient portion of this phase II study in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.