Taiwan to begin clinical trials of new pancreatic cancer treatment

台灣將展開新型胰臟癌治療臨床試驗

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is set to begin clinical trials of an experimental targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer, with about five medical centers expected to participate and Taipei Veterans General Hospital planning to begin enrolling patients in early September.

The development comes as new research offers hope for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, which remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat. According to a National Health Insurance Administration cancer care survey, pancreatic cancer had the lowest five-year survival rate among the 11 cancers examined, at 9.8%, per UDN.

Taipei Veterans General Hospital held the 2026 International Symposium on Multimodal Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer on Saturday and Sunday, bringing together experts from Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea to discuss integrated approaches to treating the disease.

Hsu Shao-jung (許劭榮), an attending physician in the hospital’s Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, said more than half of pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed after the disease has already reached an advanced stage.

Chemotherapy remains the internationally recognized standard treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer. Hsu said that among 100 patients receiving treatment, only about 50 are still able to continue treatment after 10 to 12 months.

However, he stressed that this does not mean patients survive for only 10 to 12 months, as some can live significantly longer with continued treatment. Hsu said a breakthrough in targeted therapy had emerged this year, describing the development as exciting news for patients and the medical community.

For patients with advanced disease receiving standard second-line treatment, survival has historically been about six months. Clinical trials of the new targeted treatment have reported survival of more than one year, representing a substantial improvement.

Hsu said the new targeted treatment uses a molecular mechanism to target an important cancer-causing gene and prevent it from functioning. Research targeting the gene had faced repeated setbacks for nearly three decades, but significant progress has been made over the past three years and quickly confirmed in human trials, per UDN. The treatment is now undergoing review by the US Food and Drug Administration.

About five medical centers in Taiwan are preparing to participate in clinical trials of the targeted treatment. Taipei Veterans General Hospital expects to begin enrolling newly diagnosed patients with stage 4 pancreatic cancer who have not received cancer-related treatment in early September. The number of participants has yet to be determined, per CNA.

Hsu also said pancreatic cancer vaccines had emerged as another promising area of research over the past three to four years. These vaccines are primarily being studied in patients who have undergone surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence.

The approaches include mRNA and personalized vaccines. However, Hsu emphasized that these treatments remain in the early stages of clinical development and that their effectiveness must be confirmed through larger clinical trials.

Shan Yan-shen (沈延盛), a member of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee’s cancer prevention group and an attending physician in the Department of Surgery at National Cheng Kung University Hospital, said future pancreatic cancer treatments are likely to include cell therapy and vaccines.

As treatment options continue to expand, Shan urged patients not to give up on treatment and encouraged them to maintain a healthy lifestyle and exercise regularly.