An Early Phase 1 interventional study of Bethanechol in Pancreas Cancer, sponsored by Columbia University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-06-05.
Sponsored by Columbia University · Early Phase 1, Interventional, and Other
The primary objective of this study is to assess the impact of bethanechol therapy on tumor activity by looking at biomarkers of proliferation, inflammation, and stem cell markers in post-treatment specimens compared to pre-treatment specimens and compared to other patients who were not treated with bethanechol prior to surgery. The investigators hypothesize that treatment with bethanechol will alter nerve conduction within tumors by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system and reduce tumor proliferation, reduce macrophage activation, reduce tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, and decrease human cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) protein cancer stem cells.
The safety objective is to assess the safety and tolerability of short course bethanechol prior to surgery and the impact of this treatment on immediate surgical outcomes. The investigators will assess all treatment-related toxicities with an emphasis on GI side effects and evaluate the impact of therapy on surgical delays or immediate post-op complications. All subjects will be contacted 1 week after beginning therapy to assess toxicity including GI specific toxicity and followed for safety for 30 days following completion of study medication. The investigators hypothesize that treatment for a minimum of 1 week will be tolerable in this selected patient population and will not interfere with progression to surgery or lead to increased surgical complications.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is one of the most difficult cancers and, unlike other common cancers, annual deaths from PDA are rising. During the year 2017, it was estimated that 53,670 people would be diagnosed with PDA and approximately 43,090 people would die in the U.S. Despite recent advances, cytotoxic chemotherapy for PDA has been disappointing with response rates of 20-30% for the most active regimens and little activity for targeted therapies. Even among the small subset of patients who are suitable for surgical resection at the time of diagnosis, complete resection is followed by recurrence in >90% of patients without further systemic therapy, with a median time to recurrence of 6.9 months. Thus all PDA patients require systemic chemotherapy and more effective regimens are urgently needed.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether the drug, bethanechol, could potentially be used in combination with surgery to decrease the chance of cancer coming back after it is removed. Bethanechol is a medication that is approved by the FDA and regulates the parasympathetic nervous system. It is used to treat dry mouth and for patients who have difficulty urinating. It has been used to manage the side effects of chemotherapy drugs. The investigators planned this study in pancreatic cancer because animal models have shown that treatment with bethanechol can inhibit cancer growth and spread. People with pancreatic cancer localized to a small area usually undergo surgery to remove the tumor. The study is designed to investigate that the medication is easy to tolerate and that it shows signs of slowing cancer cell growth.
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3,235 studies on the registry are indexed under Pancreatic Neoplasms; 899 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 17 is below the median of 46 across 2,424 interventional studies indexed under Pancreatic Neoplasms.
Browse Pancreatic Neoplasms studies →Columbia University is the lead sponsor of 1,103 studies on the registry; 193 are open to participants now.
Of its 172 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 142 (83%) have results posted.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma will receive bethanechol prior to pancreatic surgery
Drug: Bethanechol
Supplied as 50mg oral tablets. Take 2 tablets (total 100mg) twice daily from day 1 for a minimum of 1 week and a maximum of 4 weeks (or 2 days prior to scheduled surgery). Medication should be taken 1 hour before meals in the morning and the evening. Although bethanechol is FDA approved, in this study its use is experimental.
Also known as: Bethanechol chloride tablet
Change in cell proliferation by Ki-67 expression in tumor cells
Individual tumor tissues will be evaluated, comparing pre-treatment and post-treatment samples. Percentage of change in proliferation/staining and standard deviation will be analyzed and calculated.
Time frame: Baseline, 28 days after surgery
Number of Adverse Events
Subjects will be contacted every week (+/- 3 days) after the start of treatment to approximately 28 days after surgery.
Time frame: Baseline, 28 days after surgery
Plan to share: No
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This study is completed, as verified in May 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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