Advancing Research and Targeting Genomic Alterations in Pancreatic Cancer

In a conversation with CancerNetwork® during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, MD, spoke about various developments in the pancreatic cancer treatment field. Throughout the discussion, Bekaii-Saab weighed the benefits of currently available chemotherapeutic regimens for patients with metastatic disease, discussed research on the potential for precision medicine in those with KRAS wildtype pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and detailed ongoing initiatives to improve outcomes among those with RAS mutations and other targetable genomic alterations.

Bekaii-Saab is the David F. and Margaret T. Grohne Professor of Novel Therapeutics for Cancer Research, chair and consultant in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and co-leader of Advanced Clinical and Translational Science at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.

Given the prevalence of RAS mutations and other alterations in patients with pancreatic cancer, Bekaii-Saab especially emphasized the use of genomic analysis to inform personalized treatment decision-making in the field. Screening patients to detect aberrations such as microsatellite instability-high tumors, BRAF 600E mutations, KRAS G12C mutations, and NRG1 fusions can open the door for the development and use of targeted agents, which may consequently improve patient outcomes. 

Looking ahead, Bekaii-Saab noted the need to adapt the therapies that have shown activity in the later stages of the disease to earlier treatment settings. Although “great work” has been achieved with chemotherapy and surgical techniques, he highlighted the importance of bringing targeted agents to earlier lines of therapy to further increase the likelihood of positive outcomes for patients. 

“I have never been more optimistic. I’m always the eternal optimist, but I’m even more optimistic today that we’re going to move the needle for our patients with pancreatic cancer and continue to enhance that likelihood of living longer, having a better quality of life, or even increasing the level of a cure for this cancer,” Bekaii-Sabb stated. “Certainly, the future looks bright. We’re chipping away, one drug at a time. We can now remove that whole concept of nihilism in pancreatic cancer and look quite optimistically on the future.”