Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and Community News

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Highlights of organizational news and research and clinical initiatives, as well as important community news.

Check out the latest pancreatic cancer news and stories from our live newsfeed

New Report Highlights Pancreatic Cancer Prevalence
ACS Cancer Facts & Figures 2018
The American Cancer Society (ACS) released its 2018 Cancer Facts & Figures, an annual report that analyzes cancer statistics and trends and provides predictions for the coming year. The report estimates that 55,440 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year and that 44,330 will die from the disease.

Why Pancreatic Cancer Is on the Rise
PanCAN article: Scientific American Explores Pancreatic Cancer Rise
Scientific American explored predictions that pancreatic cancer will become the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States around 2020 – and interviewed PanCAN’s own scientific project manager, Lola Rahib.

The 30-Year Quest To Tame The ‘Wily’ Cancer Gene
PanCAN article: NPR Focuses on One of the Biggest Challenges in Pancreatic Cancer: KRAS
Check out this great NPR piece, featuring quotes from Frank McCormick and Adrienne Cox, focusing on renewed efforts to target the “undruggable” RAS protein.

National Doctors’ Day
National Doctors’ Day was March 30. In a tribute to doctors, we highlighted disciplines of medical professionals who diagnose and treat pancreatic cancer patients, through the voices of our Scientific and Medical Advisory Board members, in a series of three blogs: gastroenterologists and pathologists, surgeons and radiation oncologists and medical oncologists and our chief medical officer.

Largest Gift in PanCAN History Is a Powerful Testament to Donor’s Commitment to Innovation, Impact
An unprecedented $25 million gift has been made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) to honor Skip Viragh’s memory and to support the organization’s goal to change the paradigm for how pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed and treated and, in turn, dramatically improve outcomes.

Innovation in Action: Precision Promise Update
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) is excited to launch Precision PromiseSM in the second half of 2018. Precision Promise is the first adaptive clinical trial platform for pancreatic cancer patients in the world and PanCAN’s groundbreaking initiative to dramatically improve patient outcomes and advance the organization’s goal to double survival by 2020.

National Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Day
Registration is now open for National Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Day 2018! Advocacy Day is an opportunity for you and others to Demand Better in our fight for much-needed progress to improve outcomes for patients. Increased federal funding for cancer research is the key to funding breakthroughs – and to saving more lives. Join us and share your story with your elected officials who have the power to save lives by prioritizing cancer research funding.

Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Announces 2018 Recipient of the Richard V. Smalley, MD, Memorial Award and Lectureship
The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is pleased to announce Philip D. Greenberg, MD, Head of the Program in Immunology at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and University of Washington Professor of Medicine (Oncology) and Immunology, as the 2018 recipient of the Richard V. Smalley, MD, Memorial Award and Lectureship, the society’s highest honor. Dr. Greenberg received a Translational Research Grant from PanCAN in 2016, funded in memory of Abby Sobrato.

Clinical Trial Finder
The Clinical Trial Finder saves you time and energy by helping you quickly and easily find the most current pancreatic cancer clinical trials information. By registering for an account, you will have access to the most up-to-date and comprehensive database of pancreatic cancer clinical trials in the United States. Our online tool allows you to perform a patient-specific search to locate available trials based on your patients’ needs or a general search to understand the current clinical trials landscape to inform research or trial design.

Know Your Tumor®
Powerful Knowledge. Personal Treatment.®
Our Know Your Tumor service is an IRB-approved protocol that provides you and your pancreatic cancer patients with a molecular profiling report of their tumor, which includes personalized treatment options – including standard treatments, off-label treatments and available clinical trials. Treatment options are determined after findings of the molecular reports are interpreted by an expert panel, providing valuable insight to support your treatment decisions.

Patient Registry
The Patient Registry is a global online database created to look for patterns in treatments, side effect management and diagnostics that will lead to improved treatment options and outcomes for patients. We welcome contributions from people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer or who have provided care for someone with pancreatic cancer. By encouraging your patients to join our quickly growing community to share their experiences, you’re giving researchers access to crucial data that will help make discoveries. Together, we will move pancreatic cancer research forward.