Pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest cancers to treat, but progress is finally accelerating — KRAS-targeted drugs are showing real activity in a cancer where 90 percent of tumors carry KRAS mutations, and earlier-detection blood tests are entering trials. Survival has roughly doubled over the past 15 years.
What's actually going on in research
Studies are testing KRAS G12D, G12C, and pan-KRAS inhibitors, mRNA vaccines designed for each patient's tumor, immunotherapy combinations, and chemotherapy given before surgery to shrink borderline tumors. Researchers are also evaluating blood and stool tests for earlier detection in high-risk people, including those with strong family history or new-onset diabetes.
KRAS-targeted drugs
Nearly all pancreatic cancers carry a KRAS mutation, long considered untreatable. New drugs hitting KRAS G12D, G12C, and other forms are now in trials and showing tumor shrinkage.
Personalized vaccines
mRNA vaccines custom-built from each patient's tumor are designed to train the immune system to attack pancreatic cancer cells. Early trials show some patients staying cancer-free longer.
Earlier detection
Blood tests for tumor DNA and protein markers are being studied in people at high risk, including those with new-onset diabetes after age 50, where pancreatic cancer is more common.
What to know before you search
Eligibility often depends on stage (resectable, borderline, locally advanced, metastatic), prior chemotherapy, performance status, and sometimes specific mutations like KRAS, BRCA, or mismatch-repair changes.
What types of trials are currently open
- Treatment trials — Testing new drugs, combinations, or vaccines in people with pancreatic cancer to see if they extend life.
- Neoadjuvant trials — Testing chemotherapy or radiation before surgery to shrink the tumor and improve the chance of full removal.
- Adjuvant trials — Testing treatments given after surgery to lower the chance the cancer comes back.
- Screening trials — Testing blood tests and imaging in people at high risk, such as those with family history or genetic mutations.
- Supportive care trials — Testing ways to manage pain, weight loss, and digestive problems caused by pancreatic cancer.
Recently added Pancreatic Cancer trials
A 2-part Phase 1/2 Open-label Trial on ODM-212
An open-label, multi-site, multi-cohort phase 1/2 trial to be conducted in 2 parts (dose escalation and dose expansion/optimisation)
Nutritional Intervention Implication in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery for Whipple Procedure
The objective of this research is to assess the impact of personalized nutritional intervention on postoperative complications and length of stay in Whipple's patients via assessing the parameters related to body composition, nutritional status, weight maintenance, biochemical profile (LFTs, RFTs, CBC, CRP, serum electrolytes, coagulation profile and HbA1c) and muscle preservation postoperatively. Moreover, enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) guidelines in Whipple's patients will also be monitored. Exactly 20 patients undergoing Whipple's Procedure/PPPD in 1 year will be recruited for the study. Medical nutrition therapy will include energy intake of 25- 30 Kcal/kg body weight and protein 1.2-1.5g/kg body weight. Enteral nutrition and parenteral nutrition will be given accordingly. After discharge, patients receiving chemotherapy and patients not receiving chemotherapy will be nutritionally intervened accordingly. Follow-ups will be done in the 2nd week, 3rd month and 6th month after surgery. Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 27. To assess the significant difference among study groups t-test, repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression model will be applied. The level of significance will be kept at 5%. t-test for treatment groups.
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