Global Update on Pancreatic Cancer
During the recent World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition (WPCC) member call, Dr. Anna Berkenblit, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at PanCAN, delivered a comprehensive overview of the current state of pancreatic cancer research. Her presentation focused on several key areas of progress and innovation:
Global Incidence and Mortality: Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers globally, with incidence and mortality rates continuing to rise.
Precision Medicine: Advances in biomarker-driven treatments are transforming care, with actionable mutations now guiding personalized therapies.
KRAS Inhibitors: Once considered “undruggable,” KRAS mutations, present in over 90% of pancreatic cancers, are now the focus of promising clinical trials and approved therapies in related cancers.
Vaccines: New clinical trials are investigating both personalized and off-the-shelf vaccine strategies aimed at enhancing immune responses and potentially preventing disease in high-risk individuals.
Excitement from ASCO: Among the new developments presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting was the PANOVA-3 trial and the use of Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), which showed encouraging results in improving pain-free survival.
Early Detection: Surveillance programs and emerging blood-based screening tests (like GRAIL’s Galleri and Immunovia’s PancreaSure) offer new hope for detecting pancreatic cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages.
This year’s call also highlighted the core mission of the WPCC, which unites 116 pancreatic cancer patients organizations across 37 countries to raise global awareness, promote research, and support patients.
Looking ahead, World Pancreatic Cancer Day will be observed on November 20, 2025, as part of the broader November Awareness Month. This year’s global campaign will launch under the slogan “Hello Pancreas” emphasizing the critical importance of early detection in saving lives.
We’ve attached the full presentation kindly shared by the WPCC for those who wish to explore the data and strategies discussed.
Since 2018, Fondazione Nadia Valsecchi has been a member of the Steering Committee of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition.