Conditions: Pancreatic Cancer
Keywords: metastatic pancreatic cancer hydroxychloroquine
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 20
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Hydroxychloroquine is approved for the treatment of non-cancerous illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematous. Researchers in the laboratory have tested tumors from patients with pancreatic cancer and have discovered that they have certain pathways inside the cells that promote growth and survival of the tumor. Hydroxychloroquine may inactivate these pathways and results in the death of pancreatic cancer cells.

Detailed description:
Primary Objective

* To determine the efficacy of single-agent hydroxychloroquine in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer previously treated with one or two prior chemotherapy regimens as measured by progression-free survival at two months

Secondary Objectives

* To assess tumor response rate, biochemical response rate (i.e. decrease in serum CA19-9 by \> 30%), and overall survival

Translational/Exploratory Objectives

* To investigate predictors of response to anti-autophagy therapy with hydroxychloroquine
* To explore the kinetics of in vivo autophagy inhibition using peripheral blood WBCs to monitor autophagic activity among patients receiving hydroxychloroquine

Arms:
arm 1: Patients received 400 mg hydroxychloroquine orally twice per day. Cycle duration was 4 weeks. Patients remained on treatment indefinitely without the occurrence of disease progression, unacceptable adverse events, patient withdrawal, or discontinuation per MD decision. arm 2: Patients received 600 mg hydroxychloroquine orally twice per day. Cycle duration was 4 weeks. Patients remained on treatment indefinitely without the occurrence of disease progression, unacceptable adverse events, patient withdrawal, or discontinuation per MD decision.

Interventions: intervention 1: Hydroxychloroquine
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: None

Protocol document: