What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 37 patients with pancreatic cancer. The study was sponsored by Baylor College of Medicine and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was an early-stage trial — researchers are still confirming safety and getting an early look at how well the treatment works. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
85% disease control in patients responding to chemotherapy.
Nature Medicine · 2026 · NCT03192462
These findings — that on multi-antigen T cell therapy in chemo-responsive advanced pancreatic cancer — were published in the Nature Medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 37 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with pancreatic cancer, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This T cell therapy is still in development and not yet FDA-approved. Standard pancreatic cancer treatments (FOLFIRINOX, gemcitabine + nab-paclitaxel, NALIRIFOX) are FDA-approved and available now. Ask an oncologist at a major cancer center about open T cell therapy trials if standard treatment is not working.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open pancreatic cancer trials
Natural History and Management of Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) Associated Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
Background: People with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) can have problems with a variety of organs, such as the pancreas. The disease can cause tumors of the pancreas. This can result in life-threatening complications. Researchers want to learn more about these pancreatic tumors and how to better detect them. This may help them design better future treatment and care for people with VHL disease. Objective: To better understand VHL disease that affects the pancreas and to test whether adding a certain type of scan (68-Gallium DOTATATE PET/CT) can further detect tumors. Eligibility: People ages 12 and older with VHL that causes tumors and cysts to grow in the pancreas Design: Participants will be screened with their medical records and imaging studies. Participants will have an initial evaluation: Participants will have their body examined by different doctors. This will depend on what types of symptoms they have. Participants will have blood and urine tests Participants will have images made of their body using one or more machines: They made have a CT or PET/CT scan in which they lie on a table that moves through a big ring. They may have an MRI in which they lie on a table that moves into a big tube. They may have an ultrasound that uses a small stick that produces sound waves to look at the body. After the first visit, participants will be asked to return to the NIH. Some of the tests performed at the first visit will be repeated. Depending on their disease status, visits will be once a year or every 2 years for life.
Safety of Combining Irinotecan With 5-FU, Leucovorin/Folinic Acid, Oxaliplatin, and Docetaxel Chemotherapies
The purpose of the proposed study is to establish the safety of combining irinotecan chemotherapy with 5-FU, leucovorin/folinic acid, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel (abbreviated as the I-FLOAT study of gFOLFOXIRITAX) chemotherapies (leucovorin/folinic acid is a vitamin to make 5-FU work well).