Nano-carried FOLFIRINOX regimen: A new way to fight pancreatic cancer

FOLFIRINOX regimen

Consisting of Folinic acid (Leucovorin), Fol, Fluorouracil F, Irinotecan Irin,  Oxaliplatin OX, led by Dr. Thierry Conroy, Nancy University of France, this study's result was published in New England Journal of Medicine 2011.

Although, no head to head clinical trial comparison done, FOLFIRINOX could have produced the longest improvement in survival ever seen in advanced pancreatic cancer patients (Median overall survival was 11.4 months, compared with 6.8 months in standard/Gemcitabine group).

FOLFIRINOX regimen was very soon accepted as the preferred first line chemotherapy recommendation for advanced pancreatic cancer, based on newly updated NCCN guidelines.

However, FOLFIRINOX is a regimen with serious side effects, which limit its' clinical use.

Nano-drugs

To improve anticancer drugs delivery efficiency, and to reduce toxicity, nanomedicine techniques offer possible solutions.  

In 2013, FDA approved protein-bound paclitaxel (also known as nab-paclitaxel, sold as Abraxane) used with gemcitabine. This regimen was hailed as major step forward to treatpancreatic cancer.

In the pipelines, there are two pancreatic cancer drugs used nano-carriers, one is MM-398, and another one is Rexin-G from Philippine has entered phase III trials in U.S..   

The new bottle

Prof. Hao JiHui from Tianjin Cancer Hospital website

In Feb. 4, 2015,  A paper titled "Multiple layer-by-layer lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticlesfor improved FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy in pancreatic tumor model", was published in "Advanced Functional Materials" Journal.

During an interview to Sohu.com, according to Prof. Hao JiHui, a pancreatic oncology surgeon in Tianjin Oncology Hospital, China, the one who initiated the research, "this method could deliver 10 times of drug efficiency to the targeted tumor tissues compared with control group, and yet less toxic in the test model."

"These innovative drug-loaded nanoparticlesachieved higher antitumor efficacy and showed minimal side effects comparedwith the FOLFIRINOX regimen alone. Our study suggested that the multiplelayer-by-layer hybrid nanoparticles have great potential for improving thechemotherapeutic efficacy for the patients with pancreatic cancer." 

Oncologists, plus Nano scientists made the leap

Prof . Nie Guangjun from NCNST

Prof. Nie Guangjun, from  CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), China, is another major contributors of this breakthrough research.  

Dr. Li Feng, who works in a joint program of Tianjin Cancer Hospital and NCNST, is the first author.

The next step will be "to put nano carried FOLFIRINOX regimen intoclinical use as early as possible, so as to bring light to pancreatic cancer patients", according to Prof. Hao.

Just first step

In the next 10 years, following Nano-carried FOLFIRINOX regimen development, we might be expecting a major breakthrough in the chemotherapy treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.

But before getting there, Prof. Hao and Nie will have so many more steps to move forward. Although, they will have certain advantages, such as big patients pool in China, strong support from government funding and easily attracted investment from venture capital funds.