by Annette Pinder 

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, an important time to raise awareness of one of the most challenging cancers to detect and treat. This year, however, there is encouraging news: new treatments are helping some people with advanced pancreatic cancer live longer. 

Why Is Pancreatic Cancer So Difficult to Treat?

The pancreas lies deep in the abdomen, and pancreatic cancer often causes few noticeable symptoms in its early stages. There is also no routine screening test. As a result, many pancreatic cancers aren’t detected until they have grown beyond the pancreas or spread elsewhere.

Overall, about 13% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are alive five years after diagnosis. However, when pancreatic cancer is found while still localized, the five-year relative survival rate is about 44%. Pancreatic cancer is also biologically complex. About 90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas have changes in the KRAS gene, which can drive cancer growth. For decades, researchers struggled to develop treatments that could successfully target these proteins.

Symptoms to Know.

Symptoms can be subtle and may occur with many less serious conditions, including pain in the upper or middle abdomen or back; unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite; yellowing of the skin or eyes; dark urine or unusually light-colored stools; itching or fatigue; and nausea, vomiting, gas, or bloating. New-onset diabetes can sometimes be an early sign. Unexplained blood clots can also occur. Having these symptoms doesn’t mean someone has pancreatic cancer, but persistent or unexplained changes should be discussed with a healthcare provider.

Major Treatment Advances.

In February 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Optune Pax, a portable device for adults with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. When used with chemotherapy, it delivers alternating electrical fields, known as Tumor Treating Fields, to the abdomen to disrupt cancer cell division. In the pivotal study, adding the device to chemotherapy extended median overall survival compared with chemotherapy alone.

More good news came in August 2026, when the FDA approved Rasonque (daraxonrasib), a once-daily oral targeted therapy for adults with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who have received at least one prior systemic treatment or aren’t candidates for multiagent systemic therapy. Daraxonrasib targets RAS proteins that help cancer cells grow—an approach researchers have struggled to achieve for decades. In a clinical trial of 500 patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer, median overall survival was 13.2 months with daraxonrasib, compared with 6.7 months with standard chemotherapy. The treatment also delayed cancer progression and produced higher tumor response rates. Daraxonrasib isn’t a cure and can cause significant side effects, but its approval represents an important breakthrough against one of pancreatic cancer’s major biological drivers. 

Together, these developments make 2026 a hopeful year in the fight against a cancer that has resisted treatment advances. For patients and families facing pancreatic cancer, progress is finally on the horizon. 

Resources: National Cancer Institute, Pancreatic Cancer: Signs & Symptoms, Survival Rates & Prognosis, and Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research; U.S. Food and Drug Administration.