Condition

Pancreatic cancer

Clinical trials and treatment information for Pancreatic cancer

439K
People Affected
80
Active Trials
285K
New Cases/Year
506K
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple Procedure) + Adjuvant Chemotherapy
90% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 20% Safety• 12 trials• 10K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: Surgical procedure; Adjuvant chemo (e.g., mFOLFIRINOX or Gemcitabine regimen)
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
20
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Immediate tumor removal; long-term survival over years

Duration

Surgery (1-3 months recovery) + 6 months adjuvant chemotherapy

Response Rate

%

Remission Rate

30%

Common Side Effects:

Pancreatic fistula: 15%
Delayed gastric emptying: 20%
Bleeding: 7%
Infection: 12%
Surgical mortality: 3%
Neutropenia (from adjuvant chemo): 25%
Fatigue (from adjuvant chemo): 10%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$75,000

Monitoring

$10,000

Side Effects

$20,000

Total Annual

$205,000

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

2.5

ICER

$20,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$683,333

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Median Overall Survival18 months (without adjuvant therapy)
+55.5% (+10 months)
Median Disease-Free Survival8 months (without adjuvant therapy)
+75% (+6 months)
Local Recurrence Rate35% (surgery alone at 2 years)
-42.8% (-15 percentage points)
CA 19-9 Levels300 U/mL (post-operative, elevated)
-90% (-270 U/mL)
Secondary Benefits
Body Weight60 kg (post-operative, stabilized after initial loss)
+5% (+3 kg)
Serum Albumin3.0 g/dL (low due to malabsorption/malnutrition)
+33.3% (+1.0 g/dL)
Global Health Status (EORTC QLQ-C30)50/100 (post-acute treatment phase)
+40% (+20 points)
Common Side Effects
Pancreatic fistula
+15%
Delayed gastric emptying
+20%
Bleeding
+7%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
2
FOLFIRINOX (Folinic acid, Fluorouracil, Irinotecan, Oxaliplatin)
80% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 25% Safety• 100 trials• 3K participants
HIGH EvidencePoor ValueDose: Standard regimen, e.g., Oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2, Irinotecan 180 mg/m2, Leucovorin 400 mg/m2, 5-FU 400 mg/m2 bolus then 2400 mg/m2 infusion, every 2 weeks
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
25
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

1-2 months

Duration

6-12 months, until progression or unacceptable toxicity

Response Rate

32%

Remission Rate

%

Common Side Effects:

Neutropenia (Grade 3/4): 46%
Diarrhea (Grade 3/4): 13%
Peripheral neuropathy (Grade 3/4): 9%
Fatigue (Grade 3/4): 24%
Vomiting (Grade 3/4): 15%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$150,000

Monitoring

$15,000

Side Effects

$30,000

Total Annual

$195,000

Cost-Effectiveness

POOR

QALYs Gained

0.26

ICER

$182,756/QALY

Cost per Responder

$616,962

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Median Overall Survival6.8 months (historical standard with gemcitabine)
+63.24% (+4.3 months)
Median Progression-Free Survival3.3 months (historical standard with gemcitabine)
+93.94% (+3.1 months)
Sum of Longest Diameters (Tumor Size)100 mm (representative initial tumor burden)
-35% (-35 mm)
CA 19-9 Tumor Marker Level1500 U/mL (typical elevated level in advanced disease)
-70% (-1050 U/mL)
Pain Intensity (Visual Analog Scale)7/10 (moderate to severe pain)
-28.57% (-2 points)
Secondary Benefits
Global Health Status (EORTC QLQ-C30)50/100 (pre-treatment, 100 is best function)
+10% (+5 points)
ECOG Performance Status2/5 (ambulatory, unable to do light work)
-50% (-1 point)
Daily Oral Morphine Equivalent (OME) Dose60 mg (representative moderate opioid use)
-33.33% (-20 mg)
Common Side Effects
Neutropenia (Grade 3/4)
+46%
Diarrhea (Grade 3/4)
+13%
Peripheral neuropathy (Grade 3/4)
+9%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
3
Gemcitabine + Nab-paclitaxel
75% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 25% Safety• 396 trials• 2.5K participants
HIGH EvidencePoor ValueDose: Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2, Nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m2, on Days 1, 8, 15 of a 28-day cycle
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
25
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

1-2 months

Duration

6-12 months, until progression or unacceptable toxicity

Response Rate

23%

Remission Rate

%

Common Side Effects:

Neutropenia (Grade 3/4): 38%
Fatigue (Grade 3/4): 18%
Peripheral neuropathy (Grade 3/4): 17%
Anemia (Grade 3/4): 13%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$150,000

Monitoring

$15,000

Side Effects

$25,000

Total Annual

$190,000

Cost-Effectiveness

POOR

QALYs Gained

0.16

ICER

$270,000/QALY

Cost per Responder

$826,087

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Overall Survival (Median)6.7 months
+26.8% (+1.8 months)
Progression-Free Survival (Median)3.7 months
+48.6% (+1.8 months)
Objective Response Rate (ORR)7% (gemcitabine alone)
+228.6% (+16% (from 7% to 23%))
Worst Pain Intensity (Brief Pain Inventory)7/10 score
-21.4% (-1.5 points)
Secondary Benefits
Time to Treatment Failure (Median)2.3 months
+113% (+2.6 months)
Global Health Status (EORTC QLQ-C30)55/100 score
+5.5% (+3 points)
CA19-9 Tumor Marker Reduction1000 U/mL
-70% (-700 U/mL)
Common Side Effects
Neutropenia (Grade 3/4)
+38%
Fatigue (Grade 3/4)
+18%
Peripheral neuropathy (Grade 3/4)
+17%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
4
Olaparib (PARP inhibitor)
70% Effectiveness• 80% Confidence• 50% Safety• 20 trials• 500 participants
HIGH EvidencePoor ValueDose: 300 mg orally twice daily
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
50
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Weeks

Duration

Long-term maintenance, until progression or unacceptable toxicity

Response Rate

%

Remission Rate

%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

5

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

4

Common Side Effects:

Nausea: 50%
Fatigue: 40%
Anemia (Grade 3/4): 24%
Vomiting: 24%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$200,000

Monitoring

$8,000

Side Effects

$10,000

Total Annual

$218,000

Cost-Effectiveness

POOR

QALYs Gained

0.25

ICER

$250,000/QALY

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Median Progression-Free Survival3.8 months (median PFS on placebo)
+94.7% (+3.6 months)
Median Overall Survival18.1 months (median OS on placebo)
+4.4% (+0.8 months)
Objective Response Rate (ORR)11.5% (estimated ORR on placebo maintenance)
+101.7% (+11.7 percentage points)
Secondary Benefits
Time to QoL Deterioration (EORTC QLQ-C30 Global Health Status)3.6 months (median TTCD on placebo)
+58.3% (+2.1 months)
Pain Severity (EORTC QLQ-C30 Pain Scale)50/100 (EORTC QLQ-C30 Pain Scale, higher = worse)
-20% (-10 points (on EORTC QLQ-C30 Pain Scale))
Fatigue (EORTC QLQ-C30 Fatigue Scale)65/100 (EORTC QLQ-C30 Fatigue Scale, higher = worse)
-15.4% (-10 points (on EORTC QLQ-C30 Fatigue Scale))
Common Side Effects
Nausea
+50%
Fatigue
+40%
Anemia (Grade 3/4)
+24%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
5
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)
70% Effectiveness• 75% Confidence• 40% Safety• 119 trials• 2K participants
MODERATE EvidenceGood ValueDose: 25-40 Gy in 1-5 fractions
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
40
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Weeks to months for local control

Duration

1-2 weeks (1-5 fractions)

Response Rate

%

Remission Rate

%

Common Side Effects:

Fatigue: 25%
Nausea/Vomiting: 15%
Diarrhea: 10%
Duodenal ulceration/bleeding (late effect): 3%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$0

Monitoring

$5,000

Side Effects

$5,000

Total Annual

$40,000

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

0.5

ICER

$55,000/QALY

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
CA 19-9 Levels1500 U/mL
-60% (-900 U/mL)
Pain Intensity (Numeric Rating Scale)Pain Score on NRS: 7/10
-50% (-3.5 points)
Local Tumor Volume60 cm^3
-20% (-12 cm^3)
Secondary Benefits
Global Health Status/QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30)QoL Score: 45/100
+11.1% (+5 points)
Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS)KPS Score: 70/100
+7.1% (+5 points)
Daily Opioid Consumption (Oral Morphine Equivalents)80 mg OME/day
-37.5% (-30 mg OME/day)
Common Side Effects
Fatigue
+25%
Nausea/Vomiting
+15%
Diarrhea
+10%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 2Phase 3
6
Gemcitabine monotherapy
65% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 30% Safety• 65 trials• 10K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 1000 mg/m2 IV once weekly for 7 weeks, then 1 week rest; subsequent cycles once weekly for 3 weeks, then 1 week rest
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
30
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

1-2 months

Duration

4-8 months, until progression or unacceptable toxicity

Response Rate

8%

Remission Rate

%

Common Side Effects:

Neutropenia (Grade 3/4): 25%
Nausea/Vomiting: 18%
Fatigue: 25%
Flu-like symptoms: 15%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$18,000

Monitoring

$10,000

Side Effects

$15,000

Total Annual

$43,000

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.08

ICER

$15,000/QALY

Cost per Responder

$573,333

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Median Overall Survival4.0 months (typical for supportive care)
+37.5% (+1.5 months)
Pancreatic Cancer PainVAS score: 7/10
-28.6% (-2 points on VAS)
Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS)KPS: 60/100
+33.3% (+20 points on KPS)
CA19-9 Tumor Marker1200 U/mL
-50% (-600 U/mL)
Secondary Benefits
Quality of Life (EORTC QLQ-C30 Global Health Status)EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS: 45/100
+22.2% (+10 points on EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS)
Median Progression-Free Survival1.5 months (e.g., historical control)
+53.3% (+0.8 months)
Fatigue (EORTC QLQ-C30 Fatigue Scale)EORTC QLQ-C30 Fatigue: 70/100
-14.3% (-10 points on EORTC QLQ-C30 Fatigue)
Common Side Effects
Neutropenia (Grade 3/4)
+25%
Nausea/Vomiting
+18%
Fatigue
+25%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4