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5 treatment settings, 4 with more than one named option. Each section lays out the options the standard of care names, what each is for, the trials behind them with their recorded results, the side effects and cautions on record, and questions to ask. Built from the cancer page's standard-of-care rows; nothing here is advice for your case.
Germline testing for BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 and other cancer genes for every patient with pancreatic cancer, with cascade testing of relatives and surveillance for unaffected carriers in a research setting.
A test of the DNA you were born with, to find inherited risk genes such as BRCA or Lynch syndrome.
Yearly MRI or endoscopic ultrasound for people with inherited risk, which catches pancreatic cancers while they are still operable.
No trial record is attached to this row yet. The trials tab lists what is recruiting and the landmark trials for this cancer.
Add these to your appointment list, or take the full question set for this cancer.
Platinum-containing chemotherapy: modified FOLFIRINOX, NALIRIFOX or gemcitabine plus cisplatin, chosen by fitness.
FOLFIRINOX is a four-drug chemotherapy combination that, in 2011, became the first treatment to meaningfully extend life in metastatic pancreatic cancer; it is now the standard before and after surgery.
NALIRIFOX is a version of FOLFIRINOX using a liposome-wrapped irinotecan, approved in 2024 as a first-line option for metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Gemcitabine plus cisplatin has been the chemotherapy backbone for bile duct cancer since 2010 and is now given with immunotherapy.
Cisplatin is the original platinum chemotherapy, discovered by accident in 1965; it cures testicular cancer and makes radiation work better in cervical and head and neck cancer.
No trial record is attached to this row yet. The trials tab lists what is recruiting and the landmark trials for this cancer.
Add these to your appointment list, or take the full question set for this cancer.
Olaparib after at least sixteen weeks of first-line platinum without progression in germline BRCA carriers (POLO); rucaparib for PALB2 and somatic alterations on phase 2 evidence; continued chemotherapy as the alternative.
Olaparib was the first PARP inhibitor, and turned an inherited BRCA mutation from a risk factor into a drug target, including after surgery in breast cancer.
A PARP inhibitor for BRCA-mutated ovarian and prostate cancer whose original maker went bankrupt; still available, with a narrowed label.
Pills that block a DNA repair backup, killing cancer cells that already lost their main repair system (BRCA).
PFS HR 0.53; OS HR 0.83 (not significant).
| Side effect | Any grade | Grade 3+ |
|---|---|---|
| Anaemia · OlympiA adjuvant, n=911 | 24% | 9% |
| Neutropenia · OlympiA adjuvant, n=911 | 16% | 5% |
| Leukopenia · OlympiA adjuvant, n=911 | 17% | 3% |
| Fatigue · OlympiA adjuvant, n=911 | 42% | 1.8% |
Rates from the label or pivotal trial as recorded on the product page; each grade 3+ figure links to its source.
Add these to your appointment list, or take the full question set for this cancer.
Platinum-based neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy (modified FOLFIRINOX) rather than gemcitabine alone; adjuvant PARP inhibition only in trials.
FOLFIRINOX is a four-drug chemotherapy combination that, in 2011, became the first treatment to meaningfully extend life in metastatic pancreatic cancer; it is now the standard before and after surgery.
OS 54.4 vs 35.0 months, HR 0.64.
Averages across everyone diagnosed, often years ago. A median is the middle of a group: half the people counted lived longer than the figure shown, and some lived far longer. Your stage, subtype, age, fitness and the treatment you receive matter more than the average, and the numbers are improving quickly.
No side-effect rates or interaction flags are recorded for these options yet. The side-effect lookup and interaction checker cover the products that have them.
Add these to your appointment list, or take the full question set for this cancer.
Non-platinum chemotherapy (gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel) or daraxonrasib after first-line chemotherapy; trials of PARP inhibitor combinations.
Gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel is the gentler of the two standard chemotherapy backbones for pancreatic cancer, and the base on which most new drugs are being tested.
The first drug that blocks all active RAS variants, approved by the FDA in August 2026 for metastatic pancreatic cancer, where KRAS drives 90% of tumours.
No trial record is attached to this row yet. The trials tab lists what is recruiting and the landmark trials for this cancer.
No side-effect rates or interaction flags are recorded for these options yet. The side-effect lookup and interaction checker cover the products that have them.
Add these to your appointment list, or take the full question set for this cancer.