Icaritin in Combination With AG in Patients With Previously Untreated Advanced Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Icaritin is a drug that has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) based on a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled Phase III clinical trial - SNG1705 ICR-1. It is used for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who are not suitable for or refuse standard treatment and have not previously received systemic therapy. According to numerous studies, in tumor cells, Icaritin can downregulate the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, PD-L1 and exert anti-tumor effects. At the same time, it regulates the tumor immune microenvironment by reducing the secretion of TNFa and IL-6 as well as inhibiting PD-L1 expression through decreasing MDSC cell proportion. Importantly, Icaritin has excellent safety profile and greatly ensure patients' quality of life clinically. Rare grade 3-4 TRAEs were observed in clinical trials which is uncommon among existing standard drugs. Good safety is a prerequisite for combination therapy; therefore, further exploration of optimal drug combinations is worth considering. Thus,we investigated the efficacy and safety of Icaritin administered in conjunction with AG in patients newly diagnosed with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, compare with AG only.