Pancreatic Cancer Could Overtake Colorectal Cancer To Become Second Leading Cause Of Cancer Death – Oncolytics Is Working On A Promising Treatment

Pancreatic cancer isn't something that only happens to those who smoke, are overweight, have a family history of the condition, or are older than 55. Increasingly, women and younger adults are getting diagnosed with this deadly form of cancer.  It's alarming, given one study found that in the U.S., the incidence of pancreatic cancer among those under the age of 55 is increasingly more rapidly than in those 55+.

While pancreatic cancer is now the third leading cause of cancer deaths, by 2030, it is expected to morph into second place, surpassing colorectal cancer deaths. This year alone, about 66,440 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a record for this deadly form of cancer. What's more, about 51,750 Americans are expected to die from the disease this year.

Among cancers, pancreatic is a tough one to treat. It's a highly aggressive form of cancer that attacks the pancreas, an organ needed for digestion. With limited treatment options, the five-year survival rate is just 13%. It doesn't help that most people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a late stage when it has already spread to other parts of the body. That's particularly true with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which is a type of pancreatic cancer that's created from the cells that line the ducts of the pancreas. It’s one of the most lethal forms of pancreatic cancer. A person's health, lifestyle, diet, age and family history all play a role in whether they will get this lethal disease, and changing lifestyles may be a factor in the rise in the condition's prevalence. 

Given the difficulty of treating pancreatic cancer and its increasing incidence, much medical research is directed toward earlier detection and better treatments. As a result, the global pancreatic cancer market is projected to reach $7.4 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 13.7% during the forecast period. 

Your Immune System Fired Up 

One area of treatment that holds promise is immunotherapies. Administered as a pill, injection, or intravenously, immunotherapies help the body's immune system attack cancer cells. On its own, the immune system has difficulty finding and attacking cancer cells but with these therapies, it can be an avid hunter. 

That's exactly what Oncolytics Biotech Inc. ONCY, the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in immunotherapeutics for oncology, is betting will happen with pelareorep, its leading agent to fight pancreatic cancer that has demonstrated promising results in phase 1 and 2 studies. It is an intravenously delivered immunotherapeutic agent that induces anti-cancer immune responses and promotes an inflamed tumor phenotype — turning "cold" tumors "hot." Pelareorep works by generating, recruiting and training immune cells to recognize and kill cancer while remodeling the tumor microenvironment to enable immune cell access. When added to existing treatment regimens such as chemotherapy, pelareorep demonstrates the potential to extend survival times in addition to expanding existing and new T cell clones in the blood, the company reports. 

Testing Under Way 

Pelareorep is being tested in the GOBLET study, a phase 1/2 multiple-indication study in advanced or metastatic gastrointestinal cancers conducted at 17 centers in Germany.

The aim of the study, which kicked off in fall 2021, is to investigate the safety of the drug combination and improvements in tumor size. The GOBLET study was recently expanded to include a new cohort to test pelareorep and modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) with or without atezolizumab (Tecentriq®) in newly diagnosed metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. mFOLFIRINOX is a chemotherapy treatment for pancreatic cancer that combines several drugs. The new cohort, which is testing the objective response rate (ORR) and safety, is supported by the $5 million Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) Therapeutic Accelerator Award. The grant was established to accelerate the development of new treatments for pancreatic cancer patients. 

Hitting Milestones

Oncolytics Biotech recently dosed the first patient in that expanded cohort, marking a major milestone for the company. "We're excited to begin evaluating another pelareorep combination therapy that could result in a second pancreatic cancer registration program for the company," said Thomas Heineman, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer at Oncolytics. "The combination of pelareorep, atezolizumab, gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in pancreatic cancer patients more than doubled tumor response rates compared to earlier trials of chemotherapy alone. That combination received Fast Track Designation from the FDA and is expected to be evaluated in an adaptive registration-enabling trial through the Global Coalition for Adaptive Research (GCAR). If the combination of pelareorep and mFOLFIRINOX also demonstrates a promising efficacy signal, we could have two pancreatic cancer treatment regimens on the path to registration."

The trial is being closely watched because of the promise the treatment holds if it proves successful. mFOLFIRINOX is currently considered one of two primary treatment options for many pancreatic cancer patients. If pelareorep is effective, it could broaden the population of metastatic pancreatic cancer patients who could benefit from pelareorep-based therapies, the company reports. 

"Oncolytics is in a favorable position as we prepare to advance multiple pelareorep programs toward registration track studies and continue to expand pelareorep's potential as a backbone immunotherapy that can impact various tumor types," said Dr. Matt Coffey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Oncolytics. "The ability to improve the lives of cancer patients is something that motivates everyone at Oncolytics, and beginning to treat pancreatic cancer patients in the mFOLFIRINOX cohort of GOBLET is hopefully yet another step towards that goal."

Featured photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash.

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