Research supported by PharmaCyte Biotech, Inc., a biotechnology company developing treatments for cancer patients, determined that the company’s pancreatic cancer treatment is able to reduce malignant ascites’ fluid accumulation.
Ascites consist of a fluid build-up in the abdominal cavity that occurs in people with specific diseases, including liver, ovarian, uterine, gastrointestinal, pancreatic, and colon cancers (malignant ascites).
This treatment uses low doses of ifosfamide combined with the company’s Cell-in-a-Box®capsules, which contains live cells able that allow ifosfamide to kill cancer cells. In a preliminary investigation, 40 mice received human ovarian cancer cells (ES-2) that originate substantial quantities of malignant ascites fluid, and were allocated into 4 different groups: either receiving PharmaCyte Biotech’s pancreatic cancer treatment; receiving chemotherapy with cisplatin, an agent utilized as a treatment for ovarian cancer; receiving a combination of cisplatin and PharmaCyte Biotech’s pancreatic cancer treatment; or administered placebo as a control.
The team used the same ES-2 ovarian cancer model in a follow-up study where animals were allocated into 12 treatments groups to better delimit the factors that will be used in a prospective Phase 1 trial of human patients with accumulation of malignant ascites fluid as a consequence of abdominal cancer. This study will be conducted in the United States by TD2 and will led by Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff in collaboration with PharmaCyte Biotech scientists.
“We are looking forward to the results of this expanded preclinical study of the effectiveness of our pancreatic cancer treatment in reducing the rate of malignant ascites fluid accumulation in the abdomen. If successful, it could quickly lead to a clinical trial in patients with abdominal tumors such as in the case of ovarian cancer, who suffer from this very serious cancer-associated malady,” commented Kenneth L. Waggoner, Chief Executive Officer of PharmaCyte Biotech in a recent news release.
The research team hopes their pancreatic treatment will be effective in reducing malignant ascites’ fluid accumulation in colon cancer patients, while reducing the number of fluid withdrawals that patients must tolerate. The goal is to help patients who suffer from ascites fluid accumulation, a major problem for patients suffering with abdominal cancer which causes pain and other serious complications. When ascites’ fluid levels get to a certain amount, they must be removed — a costly and uncomfortable procedure for patients.
