A phase II trial of the super-enhancer inhibitor Minnelide™ in advanced refractory adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas

Adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas (ASCP) is a very rare and highly aggressive variant of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, accounting for 0.5–4% of all pancreatic cancer cases in the USA. Current data indicate that epigenetic changes and MYC overexpression lead to squamous transdifferentiation of pancreatic tumor cells and development of ASCP. Minnelide™, an oral anti-super-enhancer drug that inhibits MYC expression in preclinical models of ASCP, has demonstrated safety in a phase I study. We describe the design for a phase II, open-label, single-arm trial of Minnelide in patients with advanced refractory ASCP.