
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.
This trial looked at a drug called selumetinib with chemotherapy for cancer of the bile duct or gallbladder (the biliary tract). Cancer Research UK supported this trial.
Bile duct cancers and gallbladder cancer are known as biliary tract cancers. It is called advanced biliary tract cancer if
Chemotherapy is used to treat advanced biliary tract cancer. Cisplatin and gemcitabine are the 2 drugs most often used.
Selumetinib is a type of biological therapy called a . MEK is a body protein that sends signals to cells telling them to divide and grow. Selumetinib blocks MEK and may stop or slow down the growth of cancer cells.
The aims of this study were to
The team found the best dose of selumetinib to give with cisplatin and gemcitabine for biliary tract cancers.
This was a phase 1 trial.
At the start 3 people had 75mg of selumetinib with their chemotherapy. As they didn’t have any serious side effects another 3 people were started on this dose. This continued until 12 people had this dose of selumetinib with chemotherapy.
Of the 12 people only 1 person had a side effect serious enough to stop selumetinib or reduce the dose. The side effect was chest pain.
Other side effects included
The trial team concluded that 75mg of selumetinib twice a day was the best dose to give.
Other studies are now being done. These are to find substances in the body (biomarkers) that could be used to predict how well people might respond to this combination of treatment.
We have based this summary on information from the research team. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists () and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team who did the research. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Dr John Bridgewater
AstraZeneca
Cancer Research UK
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
University College London (UCL)
This is Cancer Research UK trial number CRUKE/10/036
Freephone 0808 800 4040
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.