OncoSil Medical (ASX:OSL) released groundbreaking findings from a study which showed that the addition of OncoSil™ to systemic chemotherapy returned an increase in the vascularity of the primary pancreatic tumors, and at the same time: resulted in a significant decrease in the size of tumours.
The study, conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in South Australia, involved patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer undergoing chemotherapy plus OncoSil™ implantation. Results showed a substantial increase in tumor vascularity at 4 and 12 weeks post-implantation, indicating a positive response to treatment. Additionally, the size of primary tumors decreased significantly following OncoSil™ implantation, further demonstrating the effectiveness of the treatment.
Researchers found that adding OncoSil™ to standard chemotherapy led to a significant increase in tumor vascularity, accompanied by a notable decrease in tumor size. this is the first study to show that the poor blood supply to pancreatic tumors can be improved. At 12 weeks following OncoSil™ implantation, the local disease control rate was 100%. To date, 5 patients (25%) had their tumors downstaged, with 3 patients undergoing surgical resection to remove the primary tumor, another patient with surgery pending and one patient having refused surgical treatment.
The prognosis of pancreatic cancer has not improved substantially over the last four decades, with patients facing a 5-year survival rate of 10% or less. One of the key problems is that the primary pancreatic cancer tumor is resistant to treatment due to the dense stroma (fibrotic tissue) surrounding it.
“This study demonstrates that the OncoSil™ device substantially increases vascularity within the tumor, which may in turn increase the concentration of chemotherapy agents that are widely acknowledged as otherwise being sub-optimal in this devastating disease,” OncoSil’s CEO and Managing Director, Mr Nigel Lange said.
By addressing the challenges associated with poor tumor vascularity, OncoSil™ has the potential to improve patient outcomes and enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatment.
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