An observational study in Pancreatic Neoplasms, Neoplasm Metastasis and Liver Metastases, sponsored by Duke University. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 90 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-27.
Sponsored by Duke University · Observational
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of an aggressive multimodal approach among patients with stage IV pancreatic cancer (PAC) with isolated, low-volume hepatic metastasis (LVHM). We will evaluate and describe the surgical and overall outcomes of an initial cohort of subjects who undergo pancreatectomy and hepatic resection/ablation for PAC with LVHM. The end of study results will be reviewed by the Hepatiobiliary Multidisciplinary Conference (HDMC) and Surgery Audit Committee (SAC) to determine the appropriateness of adding this treatment arm for patients with oligometastatic metastatic pancreatic cancer.
This is a small interventional pilot study that will be conducted as a single-site study at Duke University Health System (DUHS). All subjects with pancreatic cancer and low-volume liver metastases (\< or = 3 lesions) who meet criteria for pancreatic and liver resection will be offered the opportunity to participate. Potential subjects will be referred by the Medical Oncology physicians at Duke if they feel like the patient would be suitable for this study. We anticipate enrolling 15 subjects to include 10 evaluable subjects in the analysis.
Any subject who consents to the study will proceed with primary resection, including pancreaticoduodenectomy or distal pancreatectomy, and liver resection/ablation of the metastases.
Screening will include a medical record review, standard of care CT scan/MRI, clinical evaluation including physical, vitals, height weight and routine blood tests.
Preoperative data such as sex, race, age at resection, ASA class, race, body mass index (BMI), pretreatment staging, CA 19-9 (missing in open PD), tumor size (cm), and neoadjuvant therapy (no; yes), time to initiation and completion will also be captured.
Perioperative data like date of surgery, OR time, ASA class, intra-operative transfusion requirements, fluid administration, EBL, operative complications (including but not limited to infection, bleeding, need for re-operation, thrombus, pancreatic leak, bile leak, liver failure, nutritional data like use of TPN and tube feedings, and length of stay will be collected.
Post-operative data regarding re-admission and surveillance data for oncologic outcomes such as re-operation, final pathology margin status, nodal status, and postoperative CA 19-9, as well as DFS and OS, including date of death if applicable, during the provided follow up period.
To ensure accurate and complete incorporation of medical data, a database of perioperative outcomes will be prospectively maintained during the subject's hospital stay and for the first 3 months following surgery. Duke University is a member of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP), with 100% participation in Hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) procedures. As such, all preoperative data and 30-day outcomes are collected by a fully trained Surgical Clinical Reviewer and are available within our electronic medical record (EMR). NSQIP provides a robust, audited dataset that has been validated to optimize the accuracy of data collection, substantially reducing the cost and resource requirements of data extraction. Following this 30-day period, data will be collected at regularly scheduled clinic visits, which typically occur weekly until 6-12 weeks post-surgery, then 3-4 months for the first year, and every 6 months thereafter and stored in a local, REDCap database.
Subjects' medical records will be continually reviewed for surgical complications and for overall survival (date of subject death).
3,235 studies on the registry are indexed under Pancreatic Neoplasms; 899 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 18 is below the median of 200 across 620 observational studies indexed under Pancreatic Neoplasms.
Browse Pancreatic Neoplasms studies →Duke University is the lead sponsor of 2,025 studies on the registry; 275 are open to participants now.
Of its 194 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 159 (82%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Patients with biopsy-proven, or radiographically evident, resectable pancreatic head cancer who are found to have low-volume hepatic metastases at time of pancreaticoduodenectomy.
Exclusion Criteria:
Patients with pancreatic cancer and low-volume liver metastasis
Procedure: Hepatic Resection or Ablation with Pancreaticoduodenectomy
Patients will undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy, or the Whipple procedure, which involves removal of the head of the pancreas, the duodenum, and a portion of the stomach, as well as the gallbladder and a portion of the bile duct. The patient will also undergo a Hepatectomy, the surgical resection or removal of all or part of the liver or Microwave Ablation (MWA) if determined by the surgeon to be the best course of care.
Also known as: Whipple, Hepatectomy, Microwave Ablation
90-day mortality
Number of deaths within 90 days of operation
Time frame: 90 days postoperatively
Disease Progression
Time to disease progression
Time frame: up to 1 year postoperatively
Overall Survival
Number of months until death
Time frame: up to 1 year postoperatively
Postoperative length of stay
Number of days in the hospital post-surgery
Time frame: 90 days postoperatively
Frequency of pancreatic leak
Number of leaks (Types A, B, C and bile)
Time frame: 1-2 weeks postoperatively
Readmission to hospital
Number of patients readmitted to the hospital post-operatively
Time frame: 90 days postoperatively
Margin status
Number of patients with positive margins
Time frame: 90 days postoperatively
Lymph node status
Number of positive lymph nodes
Time frame: 90 days postoperatively
Time to Adjuvant therapy
Length of time to treatment after surgery
Time frame: Up to 5 years postoperatively
OR time
Length of time in the OR during surgery
Time frame: 1-2 days
Intraoperative estimated blood loss
Amount of blood loss during surgery in milliliters
Time frame: 1-2 days
Plan to share: No
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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