In 2026, an estimated 67,530 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Even more concerning, 52,740 people are expected to die of pancreatic cancer, according to American Cancer Society. 

For context, the pancreas is an organ located below the stomach that helps with food digestion and blood sugar regulation. Pancreatic cancer is elusive because symptoms like stomach pain, itching, eye-yellowing and fatigue don’t manifest until the cancer has spread to other parts of the body in its later stages. Historically, pancreatic cancer treatments have relied on intensive surgical operations, such as the Whipple Procedure, chemotherapy, radiation and  targeted molecular therapy. 

However, a recent breakthrough study has shown hope for a less invasive treatment against this deadly and evasive cancer. In January 2026, the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) concluded a historic study concerning pancreatic cancer. CNIO scientists were able to layer and combine medications that completely eliminated pancreatic tumors in trials with mice. Pancreatic cancer is able to evade some treatments, but through the combination of daraxonrasib (an RAS inhibitor), afatinib (a drug already used in lung cancer treatment) and SD36 (a molecule that can remove specific unwanted proteins), scientists were able to eradicate the entire tumor with minimal side effects. In the past, targeted molecular therapies, or treatments that use just one of those medications alone, have not been as successful because the tumor cells can mutate and become resistant. Researchers hope that the combined power of all three medications at once will prevent tumor resistance.

This medical breakthrough is an incredible milestone in the decades-long fight against cancer. The mice trials show that there is hope for the thousands of people affected by pancreatic cancer, and provide a pathway for scientists to begin clinical trials in humans.