About the PhD thesis

Pancreatic cancer and gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas are 
among the most lethal cancers, causing over 1.1 million deaths annually. Despite advances in surgery and chemotherapy, survival remains poor, and many patients experience early relapse due to 
chemoresistance.

This thesis addresses these challenges through three studies
Study I investigates the ABC drug transporter ABCG2 as a biomarker in patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer treated with 
gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel. Unexpectedly, high ABCG2 expression correlated with longer progression-free survival in previously 
treated patients, challenging its traditional role as a resistance marker 
and suggesting potential use in treatment selection.

Study II evaluates the resistance inhibitor SCO-101 combined with 
gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in a phase 1b trial. The treatment 
was well tolerated, but efficacy did not match promising preclinical 
findings, highlighting the difficulty of translating laboratory results into clinical benefit.

Study III presents real-world data on perioperative chemotherapy 
and surgery in Danish patients with resectable gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. Only about half completed postoperative chemotherapy, and survival was lower than in international trials. Early relapse was common, particularly in advanced disease. Several clinical and biochemical prognostic markers were identified.