Welcome to the Penn Pancreatic Cancer Research Center!

The Penn Pancreatic Cancer Research Center (PCRC) is committed to delivering high-quality care for patients with pancreatic cancer. We take a multidisciplinary approach — integrating Medical Oncology, Surgery, Gastroenterology, Radiation Oncology, and Pathology — to deliver comprehensive and personalized options to our patients.

The American Cancer Society has reported that in 2018 pancreatic cancer became the third leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., surpassing breast cancer (for more, see Cancer Statistics). One encouraging piece of this report is that the five-year relative survival rate for pancreatic cancer has moved to 10* percent (from 5 percent several years ago). At the Penn Pancreatic Cancer Research Center (PCRC), we understand the urgent need to develop better treatments and cures for patients.

News

NOW OPEN: Expanded Access Program for Previously Treated Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Our Penn pancreas research team is now offering access to daraxonrasib (RMC-6236), an investigational, orally administered RAS inhibitor, through an Expanded Access Program (EAP) for patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Expanded access is a regulatory pathway that allows patients with a serious or life-threatening condition and no comparable or satisfactory alternative therapy, to receive an investigational treatment outside of a clinical trial.  The program is sponsored by Revolution Medicines.  The program is currently available at three Penn locations: The Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, Pennsylvania Hospital, and Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute (Lancaster General Hospital).

Patients enrolled in the program are seen by Penn medical oncology approximately every two weeks for monitoring.

How to inquire about the program:

- If you are already a patient at Penn: please contact Camilo Henao at Camilo.Henao@pennmedicine.upenn.edu, who can help determine whether this program may be appropriate for you and coordinate next steps with your care team.

- If you are not yet a Penn patient: please contact Deborah Smith, RN, with the Abramson Cancer Center Clinical Research Navigation Team at debbie.smith@pennmedicine.upenn.edu to learn more and ask about eligibility.

“In October, A Love for Life hosted the ‘Purple Party’ – a fundraiser for the PCRC at the Overbrook Golf Club. Over 250 people attended, showing their support for pancreatic cancer research. We are honored to have them as our partners. Please check out the A Love for Life Penn Giving Page for more information (http://givingpages.upenn.edu/aloveforlife).

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Research Advances

Results from the phase 1b study of CD40 agonists with or without PD-1 inhibition for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer reported in Lancet Oncology. View our publication at Pubmed.

For more of our published research, see the Publications page.