Precision-Panc: Changing the way we Treat Pancreatic Cancer
Every Wednesday in November as part of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, we are highlighting innovative cancer research in our battle to improve survival rates. This week we are looking at the work of Precision-Panc.
Not all cancers are the same. Precision medicine is about tailoring treatments to an individual’s cancer. It is a medical model that proposes that medical decisions, treatments, practices or products be tailored to a sub-group of patients as opposed to a one-drug-fits-all approach. Precision-Panc clinical trials are delivered through the NHS and match people with pancreatic cancer to the trial that are most likely to work for them.
The treatment and survival rates of pancreatic cancer have barely improved in almost 50-years. This is partly due to a lack of research into how pancreatic cancer works on a deeper, cellular and molecular level. Therefore, Precision-Panc’s pancreatic cancer clinical trials are vital in the search for new knowledge of how this disease develops and better ways to treat it and prevent it from spreading.
The Precision-Panc platform was founded in 2017. Pancreatic cancer expertise was combined from the University of Glasgow, CRUK Beatson Institute, CRUK Cambridge Institute, CRUK Manchester Institute, the Institute of Cancer Research in London, the University of Oxford, and the NHS.
Four years on, there is now a UK-wide network of more than 20 hospitals that can offer precision medicine clinical trials to patients with pancreatic cancer. Precision medicine clinical trials provide hope for the 85% of pancreatic cancer patients who are not eligible for surgery. There is excellent evidence that participation in clinical trials is associated with better outcomes for patients.
If you or a family member are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and are interested in participating in a Precision-Panc clinical trial, it is recommended that you contact your oncologist in the first instance. They should be aware of Precision-Panc and will be able to advise on whether you or your family member would be eligible.
To find a Precision-Panc clinical trial near you, click here.