Pancreatic Cancer: A Look Back at 2024

Key Takeaways

Pancreatic cancer remains a major challenge, predicted to become the second-leading cause of cancer death by 2030.
The five-year relative survival rate for pancreatic cancer increased to 13% in 2024, marking progress.
Early detection of pancreatic cancer is still difficult due to the lack of a standard test.
FDA approved Bizengri® for advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma with NRG1 fusion, offering new treatment options.
Tumor Treating Fields combined with chemotherapy showed improved survival in unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

An image of a doctor holding a patient's hands.

Taking a look back at pancreatic cancer updates in 2024.

This past year, we saw the landscape of pancreatic cancer research and treatment continue to evolve with significant breakthroughs and emerging therapies offering new hope for patients. However, pancreatic cancer remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat, and continues to be the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. Pancreatic cancer is predicted to become the second-leading cause of cancer death before 2030.

As we look back on 2024, there have been important advancements in both drug development and treatment strategies. The year started with the good news of the announcement of the increase to 13% for the five-year relative survival rate, up for the third year in a row. However, early detection of pancreatic cancer continues to be difficult as there is still no standard test to find pancreatic cancer early. Often diagnosed at a late stage, pancreatic cancer poses a challenge in treatment.

This month alone, we have seen additional hope on the horizon with the FDA accelerated approval of Bizengri® (zenocutuzumab-zbco) for people with previously-treated advanced, unresectable, or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma whose tumor has an NRG1 fusion. We also learned that Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) in combination with chemotherapy improved overall survival in the PANOVA-3 Phase 3 trial in unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Read more about these and other developments from 2024 in the latest ‘Research Spotlight’ article written by PanCAN’s Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, Anna Berkenblit, MD, MMSc.