November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

JOIN WITH THE AACR TO FIND BETTER WAYS TO PREVENT AND TREAT PANCREATIC CANCER

Pancreatic cancer begins in the cells of the pancreas—an organ in the abdomen that lies behind the lower part of the stomach. The pancreas has two main functions. It makes enzymes that help with digestion, and it makes hormones, such as insulin, that control how our bodies store and use glucose—sugar that is the body’s main source of energy.

There are two forms of pancreatic cancer: exocrine pancreatic cancer, which accounts for approximately 95% of all cases, and endocrine or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, also called islet cell tumors.

Smoking, being overweight, having diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, and certain hereditary conditions are risk factors for pancreatic cancer.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that 66,440 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the United States in 2024. Approximately 51,750 deaths will occur. Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the U.S.    

Moreover, pancreatic cancer is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. by 2030, behind lung cancer. This is according to data published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).   

An Expert’s View

Pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival ratio of only 12.8%. What makes it so lethal? An expert explains: Giving Voice to Pancreatic Cancer Patients.

One person’s story

A grueling course of conventional treatment failed to control pancreatic cancer in Humberto M. Guiot, MD, of Puerto Rico. That changed when he joined a clinical trial of a new molecularly targeted treatment. “If it were not because of clinical trials, I would not be here right now,” Dr. Guiot says. Read his story in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2024.

mORE ON PANCREATIC CANCER

Scientists thought pancreatic cancer wouldn’t respond to immunotherapy. New research has found vaccines that can trigger the immune system to fight the disease. Read more in Cancer Today magazine.

What the AACR is Doing in Pancreatic Cancer Research

Major Conference

The AACR will hold a Special Conference in Cancer Research: Pancreatic Cancer, September 28-October 1, 2025, in Boston. The conference is held annually to explore the latest developments in pancreatic cancer research, spanning basic, translational, and clinical research areas.

Researchers at the 2024 Conference reported that they are looking into pancreatic cancer’s greatest strengths in order to uncover its most critical vulnerabilities. Read about their quest on the AACR’s Cancer Research Catalyst blog.

Supporting Research

Pancreatic cancer is an important area of research for the AACR and its partners. Grant-supported research projects announced in 2024 include:

  • Christina Demetriadou, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, received the AACR Anna D. Barker Basic Cancer Research Fellowship for her project entitled “Unveiling nuclear branched-chain amino acid metabolism in pancreatic cancer.”
  • Tracy W Liu, PhD, of West Virginia University, Morgantown, won the Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Career Development Award for Pancreatic Cancer Research, in Honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It will support her work on “Expanding immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer by targeting myeloperoxidase.”
  • Christina G. Towers, PhD, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, received the Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Pancreatic Cancer Career Development Award, In Honor of John R. Lewis, for her work in “Targeting Metabolic Adaptations to Autophagy Inhibition in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC).”
  • Renato Ostuni, PhD, San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, Milan, Italy, was awarded the Lustgarten Foundation-Swim Across America-AACR Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Research Grant. His project is “Targeting the PGE2-IL-1b axis for PDAC diagnosis and early treatment.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information, please see our page on Pancreatic Cancer, which includes information on treatment and the different types of the disease.