WASH Trial: Intraoperative Lavage as a Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a special washing treatment used during surgery can help people with pancreatic cancer live longer. The study includes adults who are having surgery for suspected pancreatic cancer or related cancers in nearby organs (called periampullary cancers). The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the washing treatment improve overall survival (how long patients live)? * Does it improve how long patients remain cancer-free and reduce cancer recurrence or complications? The investigators will compare two types of washing treatments and standard care to see if either method improves outcomes. Participants will: Be assigned by chance (randomized) before surgery to one of three groups: * Washing with warm saltwater (saline) * Washing with sterile water * No extensive washing (standard care) Undergo their planned cancer surgery, during which the washing treatment (if assigned) will be performed right after the tumor is removed Be followed over time to monitor survival, cancer recurrence, and any side effects The investigators estimate the washing treatment could increase average survival from about 18 months to 27 months. To ensure enough patients with confirmed pancreatic cancer are included, about 845 participants will be enrolled over time.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To compare overall survival (OS) following pancreatic resection between subjects receiving extensive abdominal lavage with saline (EAL-S), extensive abdominal lavage with distilled water (EAL-W), and standard of care without extensive lavage. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. Disease-free survival (DFS). II. Complication rate. III. Site of first recurrence (by site and distant versus local recurrence). IV. Clearance of malignant cells pre- versus post-lavage. STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective, randomized, participant-blinded clinical trial evaluating extensive abdominal lavage during pancreatic resection for pancreatic and periampullary malignancies. Subjects are enrolled preoperatively and randomized prior to entering the operating room. Randomization is stratified by study site and use of neoadjuvant therapy. Subjects are randomized to one of three treatment arms: Arm I (EAL-S): Subjects undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy, distal pancreatectomy, or total pancreatectomy followed immediately after specimen removal by extensive abdominal lavage using 10 liters of warmed 0.9% normal saline administered as ten sequential 1-liter irrigations with aspiration. Arm II (EAL-W): Subjects undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy, distal pancreatectomy, or total pancreatectomy followed immediately after specimen removal by extensive abdominal lavage using 10 liters of warmed distilled water administered as ten sequential 1-liter irrigations with aspiration. Arm III (Standard of Care/No Extensive Lavage): Subjects undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy, distal pancreatectomy, or total pancreatectomy without protocol-directed extensive lavage following specimen removal. The extensive lavage procedure is performed immediately after specimen removal and generally requires approximately 15 minutes. A total of 845 subjects were enrolled. Subjects with suspected pancreatic or periampullary malignancy are enrolled preoperatively because definitive diagnosis cannot be established before resection. The primary efficacy analysis population consists of subjects with resected pancreatic cancer according to protocol-defined criteria. For approximately the first 200 enrolled subjects, cytologic washings are obtained at predefined intraoperative time points (pre-dissection, post-resection, post-lavage, and specimen washing) for correlative analyses evaluating malignant cell clearance. Additional biologic studies may be performed using collected specimens. Following completion of study treatment, subjects are followed initially at approximately 30 days after surgery and then every 3 months thereafter for survival, recurrence, postoperative outcomes, and adjuvant treatment information for up to 5 years following surgery or until death, whichever occurs first.