On February 15, 2023 Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) reported that the final patient has been enrolled in the pivotal PANOVA-3 study evaluating the efficacy of Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) together with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine for treatment of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (Press release, NovoCure, FEB 15, 2023, View Source [SID1234627279]).

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"There is a severe unmet need for patients with pancreatic cancer," said Asaf Danziger, Novocure’s Chief Executive Officer. "Each year in the U.S. alone, approximately 43,000 people are diagnosed with unresectable pancreatic cancer; however, the five-year survival rate remains stagnant at just 10%. The completion of the PANOVA-3 study marks a critical milestone for our company and potentially for patients suffering from this deadly disease. We are proud to be adding to the evolving clinical research and are excited at the prospect of improving patient survival."

Following the completion of enrollment, an independent Data Monitoring Committee will conduct a pre-specified interim analysis pursuant to the trial protocol. Patients will be followed for a minimum of 18 months.

PANOVA-3 is a randomized, open-label study which was designed to enroll 556 adult patients with unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Patients have been randomized to receive either the combination of nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine alone or the combination of nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine concomitant with TTFields tuned to 150 kHz until progression. The primary endpoint is overall survival. Secondary endpoints are progression free survival, local progression free survival, objective response rate, one-year survival rate, quality of life, pain-free survival, puncture-free survival, resectability rate, and toxicity.

About Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancers and is the third most frequent cause of death from cancer in the U.S. While overall cancer incidence and death rates are remaining stable or declining, the incidence and death rates for pancreatic cancer are increasing. It is estimated that approximately 53,000 patients are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in the U.S. Pancreatic cancer has a five-year relative survival rate of just 10%.

Physicians use different combinations of surgery, radiation and pharmacological therapies to treat pancreatic cancer, depending on the stage of the disease. For patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer involving encasement of arteries but no extra-pancreatic disease, the standard of care is surgery followed by chemotherapy with or without radiation. Unfortunately, the majority of locally advanced cases are diagnosed once the cancer is no longer operable, generally leaving chemotherapy with or without radiation as the only treatment option.

About Tumor Treating Fields Therapy

Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) are electric fields that exert physical forces to kill cancer cells via a variety of mechanisms. TTFields do not significantly affect healthy cells because they have different properties (including division rate, morphology, and electrical properties) than cancer cells. The multiple, distinct mechanisms of TTFields therapy work together to selectively target and kill cancer cells. Due to its multimechanistic actions, TTFields therapy can be added to cancer treatment modalities in approved indications and demonstrates enhanced effects across solid tumor types when used with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibition, or PARP inhibition in preclinical models. TTFields therapy provides clinical versatility that has the potential to help address treatment challenges across a range of solid tumors. To learn more about Tumor Treating Fields therapy and its multifaceted effect on cancer cells, visit tumortreatingfields.com.