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Editor’s note: The “Research Spotlight” series is written by Dr. Anna Berkenblit, PanCAN’s Chief Scientific and Medical Officer. Each month, Dr. Berkenblit shares her insights into the latest news and research in pancreatic cancer. Follow Dr. Berkenblit on X and LinkedIn.
In this monthly Spotlight, I’ll highlight the recently released pancreatic cancer statistics, give an update on federal funding for pancreatic cancer research, point to what caught my interest at American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium a couple weeks ago, and lay out what I’m looking forward to in 2026 to accelerate progress for patients with pancreatic cancer.
The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer has stalled at 13% for the third year in a row. According to the Cancer Statistics, 2026 from the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer continues to be the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, behind lung and colorectal cancers. In 2026, an estimated 67,530 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and 52,740 are expected to die from the disease. Pancreatic cancer remains the deadliest major cancer and the only one with a five-year survival rate below 20%. These grim statistics highlight the critical need for advances in early detection, more effective treatment options, and sustained investment in research to deliver better outcomes for patients.
Yet as we look ahead, there is reason for optimism. Years of sustained research investment, advocacy, and collaboration are beginning to converge in meaningful ways. Advances in earlier detection are bringing us closer to identifying pancreatic cancer when treatment can be most effective. At the same time, we are seeing innovative therapies including precision medicine approaches, artificial intelligence, and smarter, more patient-centered clinical trial designs expanding what may soon be possible for those facing this disease.
That momentum is also being reflected on Capitol Hill, thanks to the advocacy efforts of our PanCAN community throughout the year. Last week, Congress released their bipartisan Labor-HHS and Defense Appropriations bills, two funding measures in which the pancreatic cancer community has been pushing Congress to prioritize cancer research. The Labor–HHS bill includes increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which would help sustain critical biomedical and cancer research. Additionally, the Defense Appropriations bill includes $20 million in dedicated pancreatic cancer research funding, a historic investment following zero funding last year, and $15 million the year prior. These bills passed the House at the end of last week and are anticipated to be brought up in the Senate this week.
This month at ASCO GI in San Francisco I joined PanCAN colleagues and oncologists, researchers, advocates, and representatives from pharma/biotech companies from around the world. The potential of RAS inhibitors to treat pancreatic cancer was on display at the meeting, with new early clinical data for mutation-specific inhibitors and continued discussion about resistance and rational combinations. Another target that got attention at the ASCO GI meeting was inhibition of PRMT5 in patients whose tumors have a loss of the MTAP gene — this may well be the next actionable biomarker after RAS. Previous evidence has clearly shown that patients who are able to go on therapies that match their tumor biology have better outcomes, and now we’re seeing significant expansion in the number, types, and frequencies of targets that may be actionable in this disease, bringing potential precision medicine based-approaches to more patients.
As we learn about targeted therapies on the horizon, we’re also learning more about some therapies that have been around for decades. In addition to testing to determine which treatments may be most effective for a particular patient’s biology, it may also be important for some patients to undergo testing to make sure certain treatments will be safe for them. ASCO GI featured a talk by Dr. Thomas Holden that put a spotlight on dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency. Genetic testing can reveal changes in the DPYD gene that will affect levels of DPD, which plays an important role in the breakdown of chemotherapies 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and capecitabine, which are frequently given to patients with pancreatic cancer. Deficiency in DPD can put patients at risk for serious side effects from these chemotherapies, including death. We encourage patients and their families to speak with their healthcare team about DPYD testing before initiating treatment with 5-FU- or capecitabine-based regimens.
A session devoted to multidisciplinary approaches to borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic cancer shed light on surgical advances, considerations for radiation therapy, and brings the hope of additional novel strategies, including irreversible electroporation, regional intraarterial chemotherapy, histotripsy, and tumor treating fields (TTFields). Based on the positive PANOVA-3 trial in locally advanced pancreatic cancer reported last year, the use of TTFields therapy is currently under review at FDA and we anticipate an update this year.
Artificial intelligence (AI) for the management of gastrointestinal cancers had its own oral session, in which a poster presentation describing a PanCAN collaboration was called out as an example of where the field is headed. Leveraging the PanCAN SPARK health data platform, this initiative created and validated an AI-based tool to predict which standard chemotherapy regimen is most likely to benefit each patient. The poster was presented by PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board member Dr. Andrew Hendifar and included authors from PanCAN and academic institutions across the U.S. and Canada, and featured an AI tool developed by Valar Labs, Inc. This is exactly the type of collaborative partnership and innovative approach to accelerate progress that PanCAN is excited to foster.
As we recognize Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Trials Awareness Month, we continue to highlight and educate patients about the importance of considering clinical trials at diagnosis and every treatment decision. This year, we eagerly await results from RASolute 302, the first phase 3 trial of a RAS inhibitor in pancreatic cancer. This study compares daraxonrasib to standard chemotherapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer receiving their second type of treatment.
As momentum accelerates, we are looking forward to the start of several potentially practice-changing phase 3 trials in previously untreated metastatic pancreatic cancer in 2026. These trials will test whether the addition of targeted therapy to chemotherapy can improve outcomes for patients. At PanCAN, increasing awareness of and access to clinical trials is a priority because patients who participate in research often experience better outcomes and help drive progress for the future. Tools like PanCAN’s Clinical Trial Finder make it easier for patients and healthcare professionals to identify the most comprehensive and up to date list of pancreatic cancer clinical trials available. And with the increasing number and complexity of clinical trials for biomarker-defined populations of pancreatic cancer, PanCAN encourages patients and caregivers to reach out to our Patient Services team for assistance identifying clinical trials that might be options for consideration.
This momentum did not happen by chance. It is the result of patients, caregivers, researchers, clinicians, and donors who continue to advocate, invest, and push for meaningful change. While there is still much work to be done, the progress underway offers hope that the future of pancreatic cancer care can look different through earlier diagnosis, more effective treatments, and longer, better lives. As we move forward, PanCAN remains committed to turning this momentum into measurable impact for every patient.
