Imaging Study of 18F-FAC PET Scans to Assess Standard Treatment in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer
This clinical trial test 18F-FAC positron emission tomography (PET) scans in assessing standard of care chemotherapy in patients with pancreatic cancer. It can be difficult to know whether chemotherapy is being absorbed by tumors, which makes it hard to tell whether it is effectively treating the cancer. An imaging tracer called 18F-FAC may show how much of the chemotherapy drug is taken up by the cancer and other organs. The 18F-FAC gives off a small amount of radiation, which makes it easy to see on PET scans. Although 18F-FAC and the chemotherapy drug are different drugs, they are distributed through the body and absorbed in similar ways, so the 18F-FAC that “lights up” on the PET scan can show how much of the chemotherapy drug may reach the tumor, which is needed to destroy the cancer cells. This study may help researchers determine whether a pre-treatment PET scan using the imaging tracer 18F-FAC can show how much of standard chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer may be taken up by the cancer.