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NCT05840341CompletedPhase 3

Clinical Efficacy of QYHJ and Standard Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Clinical Efficacy of QingyiHuaji Optimized Formula Combined With Standard Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: a Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Clinical Study

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 3 Sept 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

This prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial included adults with histologically or cytologically confirmed stage IV pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who were eligible for gemcitabine-based first-line combination chemotherapy according to the 2022 NCCN guidelines and had an estimated survival of more than 3 months. The planned sample size was 306 participants. A total of 305 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either Qingyi Huaji (QYHJ) optimized formula combined with standard treatment or a matched placebo combined with the same standard treatment. The primary outcome was overall survival, defined as the time from randomization to death from any cause and assessed for up to 24 months. Secondary outcomes included progression-free survival, quality of life, safety, and improvement in traditional Chinese medicine symptoms. Traditional Chinese medicine syndrome classification was recorded for exploratory analyses but was not an eligibility requirement. The hypothesis was that adding QYHJ optimized formula to standard chemotherapy would prolong overall survival without causing an unacceptable increase in toxicity. The study was conducted from April 17, 2023, through December 30, 2025.

Status (registry)
Completed
Phase (registry)
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
305 (actual)
First submitted
9 Apr 2023
Start date
17 Apr 2023
Primary completion date
30 Dec 2025
Lead sponsor
Fudan University
NCT number
NCT05840341

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional · Phase 3
  • Participants enrolled: 305
  • From 17 Apr 2023 to the primary completion date, 30 Dec 2025
  • 4 sites in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • Patients with ECOG score ≥2, who could not tolerate any antitumor therapy, or who could only receive the best supportive treatment were not considered for inclusion in this study.
  • Past or concurrent cancers with a primary focus or histologically distinct from pancreatic cancer, except cervical carcinoma in situ, treated basal cell carcinoma, and superficial bladder tumors (Ta, Tis \& T1). Any cancer that had been cured for more than 3 years prior to inclusion was admitted.

Other illness

  • Other serious diseases or conditions, including deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities, congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association Grade III or IV), unstable angina, etc.
  • Patients with co-infection requiring intravenous antibiotic treatment.
  • Those who are known to be allergic to components of Qingyihuaji optimized formula.
  • Unable to swallow Traditional Chinese medicine or untreated malabsorption syndrome, or unwilling to take Traditional Chinese medicine.

Age

  • Pregnant or lactating women. Women of childbearing age who were unwilling or unable to use an acceptable method of contraception throughout the treatment period of this trial and within 12 weeks after the final administration of the study drug.

Other

  • The expected survival time \< 3 months.
  • Known pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, acinar cell carcinoma, intraductal papillary tumors and other types of pancreatic tumors.

Who the study is looking for

  • Histologically or cytologically confirmed Stage IV pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
  • The expected survival time is \>3 months;
  • Patients meet the standard treatment of gemcitabine - based first-line combination therapy recommended by the 2022 edition of the NCCN Pancreatic Cancer Guidelines;
  • Age above 18 years old and ≤75 years old;
  • ECOG physical state score 0-1;
  • Patients own adequate organ and bone marrow function, defined as neutrophils ≥1,500/ul, hemoglobin ≥ 8.0gm /dL, platelets ≥80,000/uL, serum creatinine \< 2.0 mg/dL, bilirubin \< 1.5 mg/dL, alanine aminotransferase \< 3 times the upper limit of normal; If obstructive jaundice was allowed to enter the study after desicrin treatment, liver function markers were moderately relaxed to bilirubin \< 2.5 mg/dL and alanine aminotransferase \< 5 times the upper limit of normal.
  • Patients must have measurable lesions that meet the RECIST1.1 evaluation criteria. Bone scan abnormalities alone or osteolytic changes shown on plain radiographs cannot be measurable lesions, but can be evaluated in conjunction with bone scan abnormalities. Simple osteogenic bone metastases, pleural or peritoneal exudation, and radiation injury could not be considered as measurable lesions.
  • Patients who have not received "Qingyi Huayji Optimized formula " before (patients who have taken medicine for less than 2 weeks can be included at the discretion of the researchers) and who have received other traditional Chinese medicine treatment before must stop taking medicine 1 week before this study.
  • Female subjects of reproductive age must undergo a negative pregnancy test within 2 weeks prior to study drug initiation and be willing to use a medically approved highly effective contraceptive (e.g., intrauterine device, contraceptive or condom) during the study period and within 3 months after the last study drug administration; Male subjects with partners of women of reproductive age should agree to use effective contraceptive methods during the study period and within 3 months after the last study administration;
  • Patients is expected to possess good compliance, can understand and sign written informed consent, and willing to cooperate with the collection of TCM syndrome information;
  • SIRI value ≥0.8; SIRI = N × M/L, N, M, and L represent peripheral blood neutrophil, monocyte, and lymphocyte counts, respectively.

Age in the registry: 18 years to 75 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (4)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
BeijingChinaUnknown status
Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
NanjingChinaUnknown status
Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
ShanghaiChinaUnknown status
Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
ShanghaiChinaUnknown status

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.