Cardiovascular diseases and cancers, the two leading causes of death in Canada, require cholesterol to sustain their progression. All cells require cholesterol, but cancer cells have much higher needs to sustain growth, division and metastasis. The availability of new cholesterol-lowering drugs developed to protect patients from heart diseases has resulted in unprecedented low levels of cholesterol. The combination of atorvastatin, ezetimibe and Repatha, which are 3 cholesterol-lowering drugs used in combination, is safe, well tolerated and efficient over years of treatment. Recent reports indicate that abundant cholesterol supplies are required to sustain the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. This proof-of-concept study aims to verify the feasibility, the acceptability and gain preliminary data on adding a cholesterol shortage on top of FOLFIRINOX (standard chemotherapy) in newly diagnosed patients with locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinomas or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinomas. It is expected that a drug-induced cholesterol shortage will slow-down or stop the progression of pancreatic adenocarcinomas while increasing the response to chemotherapy.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
3
Cholesterol metabolism disruption using a combination of atorvastatin, ezetimibe and evolocumab in metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinomas
CHUM
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
CHU de Québec-Université Laval
Québec, Quebec, Canada
Safety as measured by the rate of adverse events
To determine causality and grading severity of each adverse event (AEs) using the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0.
Time frame: 2 years
Characterization of dose-limiting toxicities
To determine the dose at which no more than 1 out of 6 patients experience a drug related dose-limiting toxicity. To confirm that the combination of daily atorvastatin 40 mg, ezetimibe 10 mg twice daily and monthly evolocumab 420 mg meets the criterion to be the recommended phase II dose (RP2D).
Time frame: 2 years
LDLR (low-density lipoprotein receptor) tumoral and hepatic changes in response to the multipathway cholesterol embargo.
Assessment of the level of LDLR in the tumor (hepatic metastasis ) and the liver by immunohistochemistry.
Time frame: 1 year
LRP1 (Low-density lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein 1) tumoral and hepatic changes in response to the multipathway cholesterol embargo.
Assessment of the level of LRP1 in the tumor (hepatic metastasis ) and the liver by immunohistochemistry.
Time frame: 1 year
NPC1L1 (Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 protein) tumoral and hepatic changes in response to the multipathway cholesterol embargo.
Assessment of the level of NPC1L1 in the tumor (hepatic metastasis ) and the liver by immunohistochemistry.
Time frame: 1 year
SRB1 (Scavenger Receptor class B type 1) tumoral and hepatic changes in response to the multipathway cholesterol embargo.
Assessment of the level of SRB1 in the tumor (hepatic metastasis ) and the liver by immunohistochemistry.
Time frame: 1 year
MHC-1 (Major Histocompatibility Complex class 1) tumoral and hepatic changes in response to the multipathway cholesterol embargo.
Assessment of the level of MHC-1 in the tumor (hepatic metastasis ) and the liver by immunohistochemistry
Time frame: 1 year
PD-L1 (Programmed Death-Ligand-1) changes in response to the multipathway cholesterol embargo.
Assessment of the level of PD-L1 (Programmed Death-Ligand-1) in the tumor (hepatic metastasis ) and the liver by immunohistochemistry.
Time frame: 1 year
Change in tumoral and hepatic levels of TILs (Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes)
Assessment of tumoral and hepatic levels of TILs by immunohistochemistry
Time frame: 1 year
CD36 (Cluster of Differentiation 36) changes in response to the multipathway cholesterol embargo
Assessment of tumoral and hepatic levels in the tumor (hepatic metastasis ) and the liver by immunohistochemistry.
Time frame: 1 year
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