Neoadjuvant/Adjuvant Sintilimab, Nab-paclitaxel, and Gemcitabine for Resectable/Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a highly fatal disease with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%, and it is becoming an increasingly common cause of cancer mortality. Neoadjuvant therapy, such as gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel, can effectively avoid the proliferation of residual tumors and reduce the risk of lymph node metastasis, implantation metastasis during surgery, and early relapse after operation. Most importantly, it can change the immune status by turning the "immune cold" pancreatic cancer into an "immune hot" condition, which will enable the application of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Sintilimab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor against programmed cell death protein 1, which is applicable for treatment of a range of cancers including non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, esophageal cancer, and liver cancer. It could block the interaction between PD-1 and its ligands and help the anti-tumor effect of T cells to recover. The present study is intended to investigate the activity and safety of the combination of gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel and sintilimab as neoadjuvant therapy in treating patients with resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer.