Targeted treatments for pancreatic cancer may help patients live an extra year

Patients with pancreatic cancer who received a targeted therapy alongside other treatment survived for an average of one year longer after being diagnosed with advanced disease compared with patients who received standard chemotherapy. Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed late and there are few treatment options available. Previous studies have shown that up to a quarter of patients have molecular alterations in their tumours that could potentially be treated with targeted therapies. The new study published in the Lancet Oncology journal is the first to show that this approach could be a successful treatment option for people with a pancreatic tumour that has