The mission of the DCI Pancreatic Cancer Center is to improve long-term outcomes and cure rates for patients with or at risk for pancreatic cancer through practice-changing research focusing on prevention, early detection, and treatment. We provide comprehensive care and support for patients with pancreatic cancer, as well as access to clinical trials and other novel initiatives aimed at improving outcomes. Our multidisciplinary team of physicians and researchers includes gastroenterologists, endocrinologists, medical oncologists, surgeons, pathologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and scientists. The entire team is dedicated to providing world class cancer care to our patients, leading to earlier detection and improved outcomes.

The Center’s priorities include:

• Leading cutting edge, bench-to-bedside research aimed at developing new pancreatic cancer treatments
• Providing access to clinical trials testing whether novel approaches can improve survival outcomes and cure rates
• Better understanding risk factors for the development of pancreatic cancer to improve screening programs for patients at high risk
• Building partnerships between different disciplines within the patient care team to ensure a seamless patient experience from screening to treatment.
• Providing funding and support for junior faculty and trainees to build the next generation of research leaders.
• Partnering with community physicians and patient advocacy groups to provide patient education, awareness, and support.

Because pancreatic cancer often does not cause symptoms until it has spread, the vast majority of patients are diagnosed at a late stage when curative-intent therapy is no longer an option. Led by Dr. Alyson Johnson, our multidisciplinary team of gastroenterologists, surgeons, and genetic counselors has developed a high-risk screening program to ensure that patients at risk of developing pancreatic cancer have access to optimal screening approaches. This includes patients with risk factors such as family history, certain genetic alterations, and precancerous cysts. The goal is to screen and diagnose patients as early as possible in their disease to maximize the chance of curative treatment.

The Duke Pancreatic Cancer Center strives to be a top tier research destination and includes physicians and scientists that lead basic, translational, and clinical research efforts. We aim to provide programmatic and financial support for the development of Duke investigator-initiated research. We also provide access to clinical trials from industry and academic partners outside of Duke. For a complete listing of our available clinical trials please visit the Duke Clinical Trials Directory.

The center is committed to broadly advancing immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer. This includes:

• Studying new strategies combining FDA-approved checkpoint inhibitors with novel agents with activity in PDAC
• Testing novel cancer vaccines and other therapies that can boost the endogenous immune response
• Developing cutting-edge, personalized cellular therapies specific for an individual patient’s tumor

Our cell therapy efforts for pancreatic cancer are centered around generating large numbers of T cells, a type of immune cell, that can recognize unique mutations (“neoantigens”) that are found in tumors but not in normal cells. This enables T cells to attack the cancer when infused back into the patient, representing a personalized immunotherapy. We are designing clinical trials to test these approaches in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer but also those with early-stage disease with the goal of preventing cancer recurrence.

A pancreatic cancer diagnosis impacts every aspect of a patient’s life, and we recognize that patients require support for all of the physical and psychological symptoms they may experience. Dr. Wil Santivisi will be leading the DPCC’s supportive care program. As a palliative care doctor, he is aware of the devastating effects of this disease and is building bridges with other members of the pancreatic cancer care team to make sure that every aspect of the patient’s well-being is attended to. The DPCC aims to provide the best possible supportive care, from optimizing pain control to managing chemotherapy side effects to providing emotional and psychological support.

Under the leadership of Dr. Afreen Shariff, the DPCC works to ensure that patients living with pancreatic cancer are able to effectively manage their blood sugar levels. A multidisciplinary group of endocrinologists, oncologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nutritionists will optimize patient diets, monitoring, and medications.