July 1, 2026, 6:09 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
Pancreatic cancer is among the most aggressive types of cancer. Since symptoms appear very late, successful cancer therapy is often too late. Early detection of this cancer type is therefore crucial. Researchers have now developed a new test that can detect relapses or progression of the disease in affected individuals much more precisely and earlier than previous standard methods.
According to the German Cancer Research Center, more than 20,000 people in Germany alone are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year.1 The insidious aspect of the disease is that symptoms appear very late, often when the cancer has already spread. Patients usually receive their diagnosis at an advanced stage of the disease. If metastases are present, the average survival time is often only a few months to a year.2 If the tumor is operable, life expectancy can be several years. Only about 11 percent of patients survive the first five years after diagnosis.3 However, researchers now offer hope for possible early detection. They have developed a highly sensitive test that can detect even hidden signs of pancreatic cancer.
How Is Pancreatic Cancer Currently Diagnosed?
The diagnosis of pancreatic cancer (pancreatic carcinoma) is currently challenging because the pancreas is located deep within the body and symptoms often appear only in advanced stages. Although enlarged lymph nodes, liver, or gallbladder can be detected during a physical examination, the tumor itself is not palpable. Therefore, imaging techniques are typically used, such as ultrasound (sonography and endosonography), computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
A gastroscopy and duodenoscopy combined with X-ray contrast examinations are also suitable for diagnosis. Previous blood tests for tumor markers cannot directly detect pancreatic cancer. However, they often provide doctors with additional information about the spread of the disease in the body. In some cases, a biopsy followed by tissue examination is performed, for example, if there is suspicion of metastases.
What Makes the New Pancreatic Cancer Test Special?
Researchers at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago have succeeded for the first time in developing a highly sensitive blood test for the early detection of pancreatic cancer.4 The unique aspect: The test identifies so-called circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the blood. These are tiny genetic fragments released by cancer cells into the bloodstream.
The problem with pancreatic cancer is that these ctDNA levels are often extremely low and barely detectable with standard tests. However, the new test is sensitive enough to detect these minimal traces. The blood test is specifically designed to target the KRAS gene mutation, which is present in over 90 percent of all pancreatic cancer cases.
The KRAS gene mutation is a genetic defect that disrupts normal cell signal transmission.5 The KRAS protein acts as a switch for cell growth. Due to the mutation, this switch remains stuck in the “on” position, leading to uncontrolled division of cancer cells. However, this gene mutation is not inherited but develops over the course of life.
How Effective Is the New Test?
In the study, 106 patients with pancreatic cancer were examined and tracked from October 2020 to October 2024. Blood samples were taken and analyzed before treatment, after chemotherapy, and after surgery. The data analysis yielded the following results:
- At the time of cancer diagnosis and before treatment, the new, highly sensitive blood test identified signs of cancer in nearly four times as many patients (65 percent). In comparison, a common next-generation sequencing test (NGS) identified cancer in only 17 percent of patients.
- Even after chemotherapy, the KRAS test continued to detect cancer in 60 percent of patients, while the NGS and other tests failed (five percent success rate).
- After surgery, the KRAS test still identified KRAS DNA in the tumor in 56 percent of patients, compared to only nine percent with NGS.
The results also show that more accurate detection of cancer cells leads to improved predictions of survival prospects. Most notably, the identification of a previously undiscovered group of high-risk patients whose cancer was missed by the standard NGS test. This group survived an average of only 27 months after diagnosis, compared to 41 months for patients who tested negative in both tests.
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What Does the Study Mean for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer?
The new KRAS test aims to specifically identify high-risk patients at risk of relapse after treatment, even before it becomes clinically visible. This is particularly important because pancreatic cancer often recurs even when detected early. “The results suggest that doctors may be overlooking residual disease in most patients with the currently available test methods,” comments study leader Prof. Akhil Chawla on the study results.
The test gains additional significance because other researchers are simultaneously developing a new drug that targets the same KRAS mutation. Thus, the new test and the appropriate therapy could complement each other optimally and revolutionize pancreatic cancer treatment.
“With the advent of KRAS-targeted treatment, a screening procedure that tracks this mutation becomes increasingly important. This combination could fundamentally change how we identify high-risk patients, monitor microscopic disease sites, and potentially intervene earlier before a recurrence becomes clinically visible, ultimately leading to more patients being cured,” explains the study leader the significance of the new test procedure.
Study Assessment
While the results are impressive and offer hope to many pancreatic cancer patients, it must be noted that the test only identifies a specific gene mutation in the affected individuals. Although the test is highly sensitive, it failed to detect the diagnosis in about one-third of patients—a sign of how difficult it is to detect ctDNA in the blood.
Nevertheless, the detection of tumor DNA provides an early indication that cancer is present or may recur. This allows doctors to adjust the therapy for their patients early on. Since the new test is based on a simple blood draw, it can be easily repeated over time. However, whether it is generally suitable for early detection of pancreatic cancer requires further studies.