We used the BEAMing technology to determine levels of mutKRAS ctDNA, CA 19-9, CEA and CYFRA 21-1 in 284 plasma samples of 54 patients with advanced PC receiving gemcitabine-based chemotherapy.
Best performance was found for CEA in colorectal cancer (area under the curve=0.84, sensitivity=51.7% at 95% specificity vs. benign), CA19-9 in gallbladder/pancreatic cancer (AUC=0.85, sensitivity=60.6%) and AFP in liver cancer (AUC=0.87, sensitivity=68.4%).
In the human pancreatic cancer Panc-1 xenograft model in immune deficient nude mice, the CEA promoter-regulated adenovirus AdCEAp-Hsp70 significantly inhibited tumor growth.
An open-label Phase 1 study of recombinant prime-boost poxviruses targeting CEA and MUC-1 in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer was conducted to determine safety, tolerability and obtain preliminary data on immune response and survival.
A total of 170 unique proteins were identified including known pancreatic cancer tumor markers (e.g., CEA, MUC1) and proteins overexpressed in pancreatic cancers (e.g., hepatocarcinoma-intestine-pancreas/pancreatitis-associated protein (HIP/PAP) and lipocalin 2).