Dr. Jones on Future Research Efforts in Pancreatic Cancer

Amy Jones, MD, the associate program director of the Hematology Oncology Fellowship Program, and an assistant professor at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, discusses future research efforts in pancreatic cancer.

Every patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer needs to undergo somatic and germline testing, which is especially necessary for those with a family history of the disease, according to Jones. Moreover, it is important to identify patients who may qualify for treatment with PARP inhibitors. A handful of interesting concepts will be examined moving forward, such as the use of a KRAS inhibitor in diseases such as lung cancer, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer soon to follow, Jones says.

Other research efforts in the field will include the use of immunotherapy plus chemotherapy combination regimens, which have demonstrated efficacy in other tumor types, Jones concludes.