July 1, 2026, 6:09 pm | Read time: 6 minutes
Pancreatic cancer is among the most aggressive types of cancer. Because symptoms appear very late, it’s often too late for successful cancer therapy. Early detection of this cancer type is therefore crucial. Researchers have now developed a new test that can detect relapses or disease progression in affected individuals much more precisely and earlier than previous standard methods. FITBOOK also consulted oncologist Dr. Rainer Lipp on this matter.
According to the German Cancer Research Center, over 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. As a result, patients usually receive their diagnosis at an advanced stage. If metastases are present, the median survival time is often only a few months to a year.2 If the tumor is operable, life expectancy can extend to several years. Only about 11 percent of patients survive the first five years after diagnosis.3 However, researchers now offer hope for 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. While 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. Current 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 metastases are suspected.
What Makes the New Pancreatic Cancer Test Special?
Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago have successfully developed a highly sensitive blood test for the early detection of pancreatic cancer.4 The unique aspect of this test is that it 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 specifically targets the KRAS gene mutation, which is present in over 90 percent of all pancreatic cancer cases. The significant difference from previous methods is confirmed by oncologist Dr. Rainer Lipp: “In the commonly used NGS method, ctDNA could only be detected in about 17 percent of patients. Only with the very specialized ddPCR did the proportion rise to two-thirds of the patients.”
The so-called 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 a lifetime.
How Effective Is the New Test?
In the study, 106 patients with pancreatic cancer were examined and followed 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 could still 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 survival predictions. Most notably, the identification of a previously undiscovered group of high-risk patients whose cancer was missed by standard NGS testing. 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 who are 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 with the currently available testing methods, doctors may be overlooking residual disease in most patients,” comments study leader Prof. Akhil Chawla on the study’s findings.
The test gains additional significance as other researchers are simultaneously developing a new drug that targets the exact same KRAS mutation. This way, the new test and the appropriate therapy could complement each other optimally and revolutionize the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
“As we enter the era of KRAS-targeted treatment, a screening procedure that tracks this specific 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 on the significance of the new testing method.
Study Evaluation
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 mutation in about one-third of the patients during diagnosis—a sign of how challenging it is to detect ctDNA in the blood.
Dr. Lipp comments: “As a general early detection method, the test may be challenging because only a portion of patients test positive, and so far, only patients with a confirmed tumor have been examined.”
Nevertheless, the detection of tumor DNA provides an early indication that cancer is present or may recur. This allows doctors to adjust their patients’ therapy 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 the early detection of pancreatic cancer will need to be determined by further studies.