Amy Jones, MD, the associate program director of the Hematology Oncology Fellowship Program, and an assistant professor at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, discusses future research efforts in pancreatic cancer.

Every patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer needs to undergo somatic and germline testing, which is especially necessary for those with a family history of the disease, according to Jones. Moreover, it is important to identify patients who may qualify for treatment with PARP inhibitors. A handful of interesting concepts will be examined moving forward, such as the use of a KRAS inhibitor in diseases such as lung cancer, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer soon to follow, Jones says.

Other research efforts in the field will include the use of immunotherapy plus chemotherapy combination regimens, which have demonstrated efficacy in other tumor types, Jones concludes.

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Amy Jones, MD, discusses future research efforts in pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Jones on Future Research Efforts in Pancreatic Cancer

Amy Jones, MD, associate program director, Hematology Oncology Fellowship Program, assistant professor, UT Southwestern Medical Center, discusses factors that can inform frontline treatment selection in pancreatic cancer.

For the majority of patients with pancreatic cancer who have an ECOG performance status of 1 or 2, FOLFIRINOX remains the standard of care, says Jones. This is based on data from the PRODIGE 4/ACCORD 11 trial in which FOLFIRINOX improved overall survival vs gemcitabine in patients with pancreatic cancer. Patients may also derive improved disease control with FOLFIRINOX compared with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane), Jones says. 

However, other factors beyond performance status could inform which frontline therapy is optimal for patients, Jones explains. For example, patients who do not want a port are likely better suited for gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel because a port is needed for FOLFIRINOX administration, says Jones. Other factors such as treatment schedule, age, and presence of peripheral neuropathy or other comorbidities may also inform treatment selection, concludes Jones. 

Amy Jones, MD, discusses factors that can inform frontline treatment selection in pancreatic cancer.  



Amy Jones, MD

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