Pancreatic Cancer: What Should You Know in 2026
It’s not often that a new treatment doubles survival time for patients in a clinical trial. But in mid-2026, researchers shared the results of a clinical trial where that’s exactly what happened: A targeted drug doubled the survival time of patients with pancreatic cancer. The patients on the drug also reported less pain and higher quality of life than those receiving the chemotherapy treatment that is commonly used today.
“The results of this trial are unprecedented,” says Peter Joel Hosein, M.D., a gastrointestinal cancer specialist at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. “The study has injected immeasurable hope into the lives of patients and families dealing with this disease.”
The trial results represent a potential breakthrough in pancreatic cancer treatment years in the making.
Pancreatic cancer ranks among the deadliest cancers. According to the American Cancer Society, it’s the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. (behind lung and colorectal cancers). While it accounts for only about 3% of all cancer diagnoses each year, it accounts for 8% of all cancer deaths.
Researchers are hopeful that this trial will lead to new approaches for treating multiple types of pancreatic cancer.
A potential treatment breakthrough
The clinical trial looked at the use of daraxonrasib, which is taken as a daily pill and has fewer side effects than chemotherapy, for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (cancer that had spread to other parts of the body). Patients who took it lived an average of 13.2 months, compared with an average of 6.6 months for those had chemotherapy.
Daraxonrasib shuts down the activity of a protein, called KRAS, that plays a crucial role in nearly all pancreatic cancers. When it’s overactive, it signals cells to keep dividing, driving tumor growth and metastasis. Nearly 90% of patients with the most common form of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, have a mutation in the gene that produces KRAS in their tumor cells.
“Finding a way to block KRAS activity could make a difference for many patients,” says Dr. Hosein, who is also associate director for clinical research at Sylvester Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute. “This study is evidence that it can be targeted, and that doing so can improve patients’ quality of life and prolong their lives.”
Up until this study, researchers believed that KRAS could not be affected by drugs. “There have been multiple attempts to target KRAS, but they haven’t worked,” explains Jashodeep Datta, M.D., associate director for translational research at Sylvester Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute and co-leader of Sylvester’s Gastrointestinal Site Disease Group.
Daraxonrasib not only affects KRAS, it targets all the known KRAS-related mutations in pancreatic tumors. “By targeting all [KRAS] mutations, we can reach more patients,” Dr. Datta says.
All participants in the study had received prior treatment for pancreatic cancer. Ongoing trials are investigating daraxonrasib as the first treatment patients receive and in combination with other treatments. FDA approval could make it the first targeted therapy available to nearly all patients with pancreatic cancer.
What is pancreatic cancer?
The pancreas is a gland that sits behind the stomach. It produces hormones that help control blood sugar and enzymes that aid digestion. Pancreatic tumors develop when abnormal cells in the pancreas grow and divide out of control. These tumors may be:
- Benign: noncancerous and less likely to spread.
- Malignant: cancerous and able to invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body.
The most common form of malignant tumor, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, begins in cells that produce digestive juices, called exocrine cells. These tumors often grow, undetected, until they spread widely throughout the body. Pancreatic cancer can also develop in neuroendocrine cells; patients with neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer have a better prognosis.
The five-year relative survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 13%, and the incidence has increased by about 1% per year over the past decade, according to the American Cancer Society.
“While outcomes have improved for many cancers, pancreatic cancer is highly resistant to treatments and is often found only after it has spread,” Dr. Hosein says. “It has one of the lowest survival rates among all the major cancer types.”
Who might be at higher risk for pancreatic cancer?
The two biggest known risk factors for pancreatic cancer are a strong family history of the disease and certain inherited genetic mutations — including BRCA1 and BRCA2 (the same genes that increase an individual’s risk of breast, ovarian and prostatecancer).
After family history and genetic mutations, Type 2 diabetes is the most significant risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Other risk factors include premalignant lesions, obesity, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cysts, heavy alcohol use and increasing age.
Currently, routine screening is not recommended for average-risk individuals. However, Dr. Hosein says people with inherited genetic mutations or a strong family history of pancreatic cancer may benefit from surveillance programs designed to detect disease earlier.
“If a person is at high risk of pancreatic cancer due to a strong family history of the disease or genetic risk factors, we will recommend annual MRI exams or endoscopic ultrasounds to check for signs of cancer,” he says. “Unfortunately, unlike the other most lethal cancers — lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancer — there is no standard screening strategy for pancreatic cancer.”
Researchers are studying blood-based screening tools, including multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests that analyze DNA fragments or proteins circulating in the bloodstream. “These tests show promise, but they are still being studied and are not yet reliable enough for routine pancreatic cancer screening,” Dr. Hosein explains.
The best approach, Dr. Hosein says, is to control the lifestyle factors you can. “The rising rates of cancer may be related to living a sedentary lifestyle, rising obesity rates and smoking,” he says. “So, you can protect yourself by maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking and making other healthy lifestyle choices.”
How can I tell if I have pancreatic cancer?
Individuals with pancreatic cancer rarely exhibit any early symptoms. But a visit to the doctor’s office is warranted if you experience any of the following:
- Unexplained weight loss
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Jaundice
- Loss of appetite
- Changes in your stools
- New-onset diabetes
- Dark urine
- Fatigue
- Back pain
- Itchy skin
Having one or more of these symptoms does not mean you have pancreatic cancer — they can be caused by many conditions. However, persistent or unexplained changes like these should be evaluated by a healthcare provider.
The hurdle is that many doctors tend to identify these warning signs as something other than pancreatic cancer, says Dr. Hosein.
“The Pancreatic Action Network has been encouraging patients to be vigilant about their health as a result of this,” he says. “It’s important for patients to stick with it, get a second opinion if needed and get to the bottom of their problems if they continue to experience these symptoms with no relief.”
How is pancreatic cancer treated today?
Treatment options may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapies and, for certain patients, immunotherapy. Increasingly, doctors use molecular profiling to identify genetic alterations in tumor cells, guide treatment decisions and match patients with clinical trials.
The FDA has approved some new treatments in recent years. The most recent is a wearable device for individuals with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Used together with chemotherapy, it delivers a low-intensity electrical field to disrupt cancer cell division. The agency has also approved a new chemotherapy combination and three different therapies that target rare biomarkers that appear in some tumors.
Radiation therapy has also advanced. Sylvester was the fourth cancer center in the nation to offer magnetic-resonance-guided radiation therapy. Other new approaches include adaptive therapies, intensity-modulated external radiation therapy and proton beam radiation, which ishighly targetedand less likely to damage surrounding healthy tissue.
Many newer treatments, including proton radiation and cutting-edge clinical trials, are available only at dedicated cancer centers like Sylvester.
“It’s critical for patients to have a strong multidisciplinary team that consists of pancreatic surgeons, oncologists, radiation oncologists, dietitians, psychologists, gastroenterologists, interventional radiologists and more,” Dr. Hosein says. “You’re more likely to receive this level of care at a dedicated cancer center, as well as receive the most advanced treatment options.”
What gives researchers hope?
Although pancreatic cancer remains one of the most challenging cancers to treat, researchers are making progress. “The outlook for pancreatic cancer today is different than it was a decade ago,” says Dr. Hosein. “We’re seeing advances in precision medicine and a growing understanding of the disease that is helping us move toward more effective treatments.”
Learn more about pancreatic cancer screening online at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. If you think you may be at high risk for pancreatic cancer, learn more at the website for Sylvester’s Gastroenterology High Risk & Prevention Clinic. You can make an appointment at the clinic online or by calling 305-689-7475.
Wyatt Myers is a contributing writer for UMiami Health News.
Originally published on: November 09, 2020
