Pancreatic Cancer Patients Encouraged to Consider Clinical Trial Enrollment

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – (January 6, 2016) — With no effective screening method and few treatment options, an estimated 72 percent of pancreatic cancer patients will die in the first year of diagnosis. And, only seven percent of those diagnosed will survive five years.

To combat these statistics, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network urges patients to consider clinical trial enrollment.

“The standard treatments available to patients today were once part of a clinical trial,” said Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA, president and CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “Pancreatic cancer clinical trials give patients early access to cutting-edge treatments that can lead to progress in research, more options and better outcomes.”

Patients can search for clinical trials using the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s Clinical Trial Finder, a free tool that accesses the most comprehensive and up-to-date database of pancreatic cancer clinical trials available in the United States. Patients can search for trials based on geographic location, stage of disease, line of treatment and more.

“Clinical trials are a critical step in the path to medical breakthroughs for pancreatic cancer,” said Lynn Matrisian, PhD, vice president of Scientific and Medical Affairs at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “Clinical Trial Finder is one of several innovative initiatives designed to achieve our goal to double survival by 2020.”

To double survival by 2020, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network will continue its research investment and support of other novel initiatives like Know Your Tumor^SM and the newly launched Patient Registry.

Know Your Tumor^SM is a personalized molecular analysis of an individual patient’s tumor, designed to aid in determining treatment options, including clinical trials, which may help improve that patient’s outcome.

The Patient Registry, allows any pancreatic cancer patient to record the details of their experience. This information could provide insights that will help the research community make advancements and provide better treatment options for patients and their families.

“The more patients who enroll in clinical trials, the more strides we can make toward our 2020 goal and a cure for this disease,” said Fleshman. “Patients who enroll at any stage in their diagnosis are not only helping themselves, but furthering advances in treatments needed to help countless others.”

A Pancreatic Cancer Action Network PanCAN Patient Services Case Manager can conduct a free, personalized clinical trial search for patients and provide comprehensive disease information, specialists in pancreatic cancer, access to personalized medicine services, educational events, support resources and more.

PanCAN Patient Services Case Managers helped more than 100,000 pancreatic cancer contacts – more than any other organization in the world. They are available Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.PST at 877.272.6226 or by completing our contact form.

To learn more about the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, visit www.pancan.org.

Follow the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.