Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat, but several promising studies presented at ASCO 2025 show progress in locally advanced, resectable and metastatic disease.
Several key studies at ASCO 2025 show progress in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, one of the most difficult cancers to treat.
Together, these results signal that new technologies, chemotherapy combinations and immune-based therapies can improve the prognosis of pancreatic cancer.
PANOVA-3 (Phase III) showed that Tumour-Treating Fields (TTFields), electric fields that interfere with cancer cell division, in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel for patients with locally advanced disease provided a median survival benefit of two months without increased toxicity. Pain-free survival was also improved. The ongoing PANOVA-4 trial is testing TTFields in combination with immunotherapy (atezolizumab) and chemotherapy in metastatic disease.
CASSANDRA (phase III) compared two neoadjuvant treatment strategies prior to surgery for resectable or borderline resectable cancer. The combination PAXG (cisplatin, nab-paclitaxel, capecitabine and gemcitabine) resulted in a longer event-free survival (16 months) than mFOLFIRINOX (10 months), suggesting better disease control before surgery.
TEDOPAM (phase II) investigated the cancer vaccine OSE2101 (Tedopi®) in combination with FOLFIRI in patients with advanced/metastatic cancer after FOLFIRINOX. The study showed a significant improvement in one-year survival and minimal toxicity, indicating that vaccines may become a valuable adjunct as maintenance therapy.
