Dr. Simeone Discusses Unmet Needs in Pancreatic Cancer

Diane Simeone, MD, director, Pancreatic Cancer Center, associate director, Translational Research, NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, discusses unmet needs in the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Simeone says that the biggest challenge in pancreatic cancer is the extreme skepticism in the community. There are many new therapies that are available, as well as exciting new clinical trials, but only about 4% of patients with pancreatic cancer go on clinical trials, says Simeone.

However, there is a big move toward understanding who is at risk for pancreatic cancer. About 10% to 13% of patients that come into the clinic with a new diagnosis of pancreatic cancer have a germline mutation, Simeone says. Identifying those risk factors are important for treatment decisions, but they also have implications for family members. The overall goal is to shift the curve in order to diagnose pancreatic cancer earlier.