New era in precision medicine for pancreatic cancer

The development of new treatments for pancreatic cancer is set to be transformed by a £10m investment by Cancer Research UK into a network of clinical trials, aiming to find the right trial for the right patient.

Professor Andrew Biankin, a Cancer Research UK pancreatic cancer expert at the University of Glasgow and member of Glasgow ECMC, wants to speed up recruitment and enrolment of pancreatic cancer patients to clinical trials that are right for the individual patient: “Because the disease is so aggressive, patients may receive no treatment at all or if they are given an option it will be for just one line of treatment, so it’s essential that the most suitable treatment is identified quickly. It’s important we offer all patients the opportunity to be part of research alongside their standard care.”

The researchers will use the molecular profile of each individual cancer to offer patients and their doctor a menu of trials that might benefit them. The first wave of research will establish the best way to collect and profile patient tissue samples.

The PRECISION Panc programme will fund researchers across the UK, including some based at Glasgow, Manchester, Cambridge and ICR ECMCs. The project aims to develop personalised treatments for pancreatic cancer patients, improving the options and outcomes for a disease where survival rates have remained stubbornly low. As the programme is set-up and established, the ECMC Network will support the development and delivery of early phase pancreatic cancer trials that will be run through the PRECISION-Panc platform.

"I believe we’re on the cusp of making some incredible advances which will provide therapeutic options to help people affected by this terrible disease," said Prof Biankin.