# STARPAC2

Source: https://onco.cc/trials/starpac2/  
OnCo record `starpac2` (Trial). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

STARPAC2 is a UK trial repurposing the vitamin A derivative used in leukaemia to soften the scar tissue around pancreatic tumours so chemotherapy works better; it follows a phase 1 (STAR_PAC) at Barts and has closed to recruitment with results due after 2028.

## Summary

STARPAC2 (ISRCTN11503604, NCT04241276) randomises patients to gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel with or without all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), which in preclinical work restores pancreatic stellate cells to quiescence and reduces desmoplasia; the primary endpoint is progression-free survival and the registry lists 170 participants (estimated), a start date of 30 April 2020, primary completion June 2028 and the sponsor as Queen Mary University of London with Barts NHS Trust as the site. The phase 1 STAR_PAC established the dose. No results were published on 24 September 2026; the trial is one of the few UK-led randomised drug trials in pancreatic cancer open in the registry snapshot, beside PRIMUS 001 and the DETERMINE platform.

## Fields

- Kind: Trial
- Status: active
- Last checked: 2026-09-24
- Also known as: STARPAC 2; STAR_PAC2
- Registry id: NCT04241276
- Phase: 2
- Setting: Pancreatic cancer in the United Kingdom, led from Barts: gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel with or without all-trans retinoic acid repurposed as a stroma-targeting agent, a randomised phase 2b with progression-free survival as the primary endpoint
- Sponsor: Queen Mary University of London, with the Medical Research Council and Celgene
- Enrolled: 170

## Notes

- UK sites (registry, 1): Barts NHS Trust (London). ISRCTN11503604.

## Sources

- ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04241276: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04241276
- ISRCTN11503604: STARPAC2: https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN11503604

## Connected records

- cancers: [Locally advanced unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/locally-advanced-pdac/), [Metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/metastatic-pdac/), [Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic/)
- technologies: [Cytotoxic chemotherapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/cytotoxic-chemotherapy/)
- drugs: [Gemcitabine + nab-paclitaxel](https://onco.cc/drugs/gemcitabine-nab-paclitaxel/), [Nab-paclitaxel](https://onco.cc/drugs/nab-paclitaxel/)
- institutions: [Barts Cancer Institute / Barts Health NHS Trust](https://onco.cc/institutions/barts-cancer-institute/)
- terms: [Desmoplasia (tumour stroma)](https://onco.cc/terms/desmoplasia/), [Pancreatic cancer trials open today (registry snapshot and UK sites)](https://onco.cc/terms/pancreatic-trials-open-today/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/starpac2.json