Safety and Tolerance of Epigenetic and Immunomodulating Drugs Combined With Chemotherapeutics in Patients Suffering From Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

A multi-center, open-label phase I/II study to to determine the safety and tolerability of Azacitidine and/or Romidepsin in combination with nab-Paclitaxel/Gemcitabine in patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) (Part 1), followed by sequential immune targeting with programmed death-ligand (PD-L)1 blockade in combination with low-dose Lenalidomide (Part 2) in patients with controlled disease after 3 cycles (Part 1).

The first part of the study will employ a standard 3 + 3 design to test safety and tolerability of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition with Romidepsin (Arm A), DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibition with Azacitidine (Arm B) or both agents (Arm C), in each arm in combination with nab-Paclitaxel/Gemcitabine (Part 1a). Study treatment is given until intolerable toxicity as defined in the protocol. Treatment will escalate until the recommended dose for RDE is identified. For the expansion part (Part 1b) of the study, one of the treatment arms (Arm C over B over A) will be continued using a Simon Two-stage design to a maximum of 35 patients. All patients from Part 1a and 1b will be treated for a total of three cycles and will then enter the second part of the study in case of disease control with still measurable disease (PR, SD). In the second part (Part 2) of the study (consolidation therapy), all patients from Part 1 (dose escalation and expansion cohorts from experimental arms and standard arm) who have not progressed after three cycles of nab-Paclitaxel/Gemcitabine with or without additional epigenetic treatment (= at least SD by RECIST 1.1 after 3 cycles) receive sequential immune targeting with PD-L1 blockade (standard fixed dose Durvalumab 1500 mg q4w iv) in combination with low-dose Lenalidomide (10 mg d1-21 q4w po) until documented disease progression.