Pilot Study to Investigate Targetable Metabolic Pathways Sustaining Pancreatic Cancer and Associated Genomic Alterations
This clinical trial investigates the nutrients pancreatic cancers depend on in which to survive and the processes these tumors use (metabolism) to obtain these nutrients. Giving U-13C-glucose during surgery may allow doctors to trace the metabolic activity of pancreatic cancer in research experiments done in the laboratory. These experiments may help researchers understand how cancer cells manage their nutrients when compared to normal pancreatic cells.
• Male or female patients \>= 18 years of age
• Pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients, previously diagnosed by biopsy, who are candidates for intended curative resection either with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy
• Willing to undergo mandatory intraoperative small excisional and core biopsies (4-6 passes) of tumor and normal tissue for research purposes at the time of proposed pancreatectomy
• 16 patients will be enrolled including 8 with no prior treatment and 8 treated with at least 3 months of neoadjuvant chemotherapy
• All patients must be able to understand the investigational nature of the study and give written informed consent prior to study entry