Trial reportLangenbeck's archives of surgery2025
Pancreatic resection with perioperative drug repurposing of propranolol and etodolac - the phase II randomized controlled PROSPER trial.
Trial report in Langenbeck's archives of surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Favorable safety outcomes of a perioperative propranolol and etodolac regimen in cancer patients in four randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Trial
- Antitumour Effects of β-Blockers: A Narrative Review of the Literature.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Review
- Review
- Perioperative psycho-behavioral stress promotes cancer metastasis beyond the impact of surgery: Neuroendocrine and tumor molecular mediating mechanisms.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Stromal Regulation of Tumor Perineural Invasion: A Multicellular and Neuro-Ecological Perspective.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Leveraging the perioperative window in pancreatic cancer: lessons from the PROSPER trial.Gland surgery · 2026Article
- Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: integrating molecular insights for targeted interventions.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeThe perioperative period is characterized by psychological stress and inflammatory reactions that can contribute to disease recurrence or metastatic spread. These reactions are mediated particularly by catecholamines and prostaglandins. The PROSPER trial aimed to evaluate whether a perioperative drug repurposing with a non-selective betablocker (propranolol) and a COX-2 inhibitor (etodolac) is feasible and safe in the setting of pancreatic cancer surgery.
methodsPatients undergoing partial pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer were randomized to perioperative treatment with propranolol and etodolac or placebo. Main safety endpoint was the rate of serious adverse events (SAE) and the main feasibility endpoint was adherence. Overall and disease-free survival (DFS) as well as recurrences were assessed as efficacy parameters and the trial was accompanied by a translational study.
resultsThe trial was prematurely closed due to slow recruitment. 26 patients were randomized, but 6 never started trial medication. Finally, 9 patients received the trial medication and 11 patients placebo. There were 6 SAE in the treatment vs. 14 in the placebo group. Adherence was lower in the treatment group, but without statistically significance. Median DFS was 16.36 months (95%-CI 1.18 - not reached) in verum vs. 11.25 (95%-CI 2.2 - 17.25) in placebo group. The rate of distant recurrences was 11.1% in verum vs. 54.5% in placebo group.
conclusionThere were no safety concerns, but the trial intervention was not feasible given slow recruitment and limited adherence. However, the translational study and preliminary efficacy data revealed some promising findings, warranting further investigation. REGISTRATION: DRKS00014054.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.