Pancreatic cancer has long been one of the deadliest forms of cancer, often diagnosed too late for curative treatment. Yet 2025 has seen new optimism in the field. Advances in blood-based detection, AI-enhanced imaging, and personalised therapies are offering new hope to patients and clinicians alike. This article explores the most significant pancreatic cancer research from the past year and what these discoveries mean for improving early detection, diagnosis, and outcomes.
Key Facts
- Pancreatic cancer is the 10th most common cancer in the UK, and the 5th leading cause of cancer-related deaths1.
- Around 10,800 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK each year2.
- 80 per cent of cases are diagnosed at stage 3 or 4, when surgery is no longer an option1.
- The overall five-year survival rate is just 7-10 per cent, largely due to late detection.
- Common risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking, obesity, chronic pancreatitis, diabetes, and family history3.
- 2025 saw key breakthroughs in AI imaging, early detection biomarkers, and targeted treatment trials, paving the way for earlier, more effective interventions.
Understanding Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is a challenging disease, notably difficult to diagnose early and often associated with poor outcomes.
Causes and Risk Factors
- Smoking significantly increases the risk, with smokers having about twice the chance of developing pancreatic cancer compared to non-smokers4.
- Heavy alcohol use can cause chronic pancreatitis, which raises the risk over time.
- Chronic pancreatitis and long-term pancreatic inflammation, whether from alcohol or genetic syndromes, are well-established risk factors.
- Obesity and type 2 diabetes, especially new-onset diabetes in older adults, each contribute to a higher risk.
- Genetic syndromes like BRCA2 and Lynch syndrome, and a family history of pancreatic cancer, significantly elevate lifetime risk.
Challenges in Early Detection
- The pancreas’s deep abdominal location means tumours rarely cause symptoms or can be felt until they are advanced5.
- Early signs, like indigestion, abdominal pain, jaundice, and fatigue, are vague and typically appear only in later disease stages6.
- Standard imaging methods (ultrasound, computed tomography) often miss small or early-stage tumours, and many precursor lesions cannot be detected on routine scans7.
- There is currently no national screening programme for pancreatic cancer in the UK, restricting early intervention mainly to high-risk groups.
Importance of Early Diagnosis
Early diagnosis before cancer spreads is crucial for improving survival rates; individuals diagnosed at an early stage are much more likely to benefit from surgery and targeted therapies7,8. Regular screening and imaging, especially for those with family history or genetic predisposition, may allow earlier detection and intervention, potentially saving lives.
Research is ongoing to develop better biomarkers and improved imaging modalities to identify people at risk and detect the disease earlier.
2025 Research Highlights
New Tools for Early Detection
- Liquid biopsy studies show that multi-omic blood tests analysing circulating (ct) DNA and broader cell-free signatures, combined with machine learning, can detect pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma at potentially resectable stages (meaning that it can be surgically removed)9. These assays may outperform traditional single-marker tests by improving specificity and enabling real-time monitoring of tumour evolution.
- CA19-9 remains the principal serum marker for pancreatic cancer. UK and European groups are trialling panels that combine CA19-9 and related biomarkers with AI models to stratify risk and identify patients who need further imaging10.
- Early phase work on urine and saliva metabolomic/proteomic signatures suggests these noninvasive biofluids might detect pancreatic changes months before tumours are visible on standard imaging, although larger validation studies are still needed11,12.
AI in Imaging and Diagnostics
- Deep learning models applied to CT and MRI can segment the pancreas and flag suspicious areas with sensitivity that can match or exceed human readers, including for small or subtle lesions13,14. These AI systems are particularly useful for differentiating benign cysts from early or high-grade malignancies by integrating multimodal imaging features to improve categorisation by risk and avoid unnecessary surgery.
- In Europe and the UK, AI tools for pancreatic imaging are entering pilot use within hospital diagnostic pathways, where early reports indicate faster reads and the potential for earlier detection than with conventional workflows alone15.
Advances in Targeted and Immunotherapies
- Multiple targeted strategies against the gene KRAS are now in early clinical use or testing, with emerging data in pancreatic cancer suggesting that KRAS inhibitors can remodel the tumour microenvironment and may enhance responses to other therapies16.
- Phase II data on PD-1 inhibitor combinations with chemotherapy and other immune-modulating agents indicate improved one-year survival and some durable responses, though combination in larger phase III trials is required17.
- Personalised vaccines encoding patient- or mutation-specific KRAS neoantigens advanced into or expanded human trials in 2025, demonstrating feasibility, induction of tumour-specific immune responses, and early signs of clinical activity in both additional and advanced-disease settings18.
What You Can Do During Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
What you do during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month can help others spot symptoms earlier, support research, and protect your own health.
Share Knowledge and Symptoms
- Learn and share common warning signs: jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), unexplained weight loss, persistent back or upper abdominal pain, new or worsening indigestion, pale or greasy stools, and new-onset diabetes, especially in older adults.
- Talk about symptoms with friends, family, and colleagues, and encourage anyone with persistent changes to speak to their GP rather than “watch and wait”.
- Use social media to amplify accurate information and real stories, including hashtags like #PancreaticCancerAwareness and #SpotTheSignsEarly, and link to reputable charities or NHS pages for further reading.
Support Research and Trials
- Donate to or fundraise for organisations such as Pancreatic Cancer UK, Cancer Research UK, Pancreatic Cancer Action, and other national or local groups that fund early detection and treatment research.
- Share information about ongoing clinical trials and high-risk screening studies from trusted sources, and encourage potentially eligible people (for example, those with strong family history or genetic syndromes) to ask their clinical team whether a trial or surveillance programme is appropriate.
- If you work in health, research, or communications, consider volunteering your skills, for example, helping with patient information materials, awareness campaigns, or trial recruitment support.
Book Preventive Screening
- If you have a family history of pancreatic cancer, known high-risk genetic variants (such as BRCA2 or Lynch syndrome), or chronic pancreatitis, book an appointment with your GP or specialist to discuss personalised risk and whether referral to a high-risk surveillance clinic is appropriate.
- Ask specifically about what “screening” means in your case (e.g., MRI, endoscopic ultrasound, or periodic blood tests) and how often it should be done, as recommendations differ between individuals.
- For people considering broader health checks, multi-region MRI services (like Ezra) can sometimes detect pancreatic or other organ abnormalities incidentally.
Summary
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal cancers, but 2025 has brought cautious optimism as research shifts the focus toward earlier detection and more personalised care. Multi-omic liquid biopsies, AI-enhanced imaging, and novel biomarkers in blood, urine, and saliva are beginning to identify disease at potentially resectable stages, moving diagnosis closer to the window where curative surgery is possible.
At the same time, advances in targeted KRAS inhibitors, combination immunotherapy, and personalised neoantigen vaccines are showing early signals of improved survival and more durable responses in selected patients, while risk‑stratified surveillance pathways and awareness efforts aim to ensure that high‑risk individuals are recognised and referred sooner.
If you want to be proactive about your health, why not book an Ezra MRI Scan with Spine? Our annual scan catches potential cancer earlier, including in the pancreas, by leveraging AI through the screening process, making it more efficient, affordable, and faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Most at Risk for Pancreatic Cancer?
People with a strong family history or inherited mutations (for example, BRCA2 or Lynch syndrome), long-standing type 2 diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, smoking, and increasing age-especially over 60, are among those at highest risk.
Can Pancreatic Cancer be Cured if Caught Early?
Yes, a small proportion of patients whose cancer is found at a very early, localised and surgically resectable stage can achieve long-term survival, with five-year survival rates several-fold higher than for advanced disease.
Is Pancreatic Cancer Screening Available on the NHS?
There is no routine national screening programme for the general population, but the NHS does offer or facilitate surveillance and trial-based screening for people at high risk, including those in programmes such as EUROPAC and new regional case-finding pilots.
Understand your risk for cancer with our 5 minute quiz.
Our scan is designed to detect potential cancer early.
References
1. Pancreatic cancer statistics. Pancreatic Cancer UK. Accessed November 27, 2025. https://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/what-we-do/media-centre/pancreatic-cancer-statistics/
2. Pancreatic cancer statistics. Cancer Research UK. May 14, 2015. Accessed November 27, 2025. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/pancreatic-cancer
3. Risks and causes of pancreatic cancer. Accessed November 27, 2025. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/pancreatic-cancer/risks-causes
4. Risk factors for Pancreatic Cancer | Pancreatic Cancer. Accessed November 28, 2025. https://pancreaticcanceraction.org/pancreatic-cancer/risk-factors/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22801077302&gbraid=0AAAAADkVrQqVIysyIw72XhuWF4ZlomLrJ&gclid=CjwKCAiAraXJBhBJEiwAjz7MZScKUMcZdI4jdjDv4K7biLSONEz5F2Zc1txnycooa64TG2jX9Fec0hoCGwsQAvD_BwE
5. Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection. Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Accessed November 28, 2025. https://pancan.org/facing-pancreatic-cancer/diagnosis/early-detection/
6. Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic Cancer UK. Accessed November 28, 2025. https://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/information/signs-and-symptoms-of-pancreatic-cancer/
7. Shen MJ, Jamali A, Katona BW. Challenges of early detection of pancreatic cancer. J Clin Invest. 135(20):e191942. doi:10.1172/JCI191942
8. Genkinger JM, Klein AP. Why Is Earlier Detection, the Key to Reducing Pancreatic Cancer, So Challenging Despite Technological Advances? J Clin Oncol. 2025;43(26):2843-2846. doi:10.1200/JCO-25-00796
9. Bendari A, Vele O, Baskovich B, et al. Liquid Biopsy in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Clinical Utility, Trials, and Future Directions. Gastroenterology Insights. 2025;16(4):39. doi:10.3390/gastroent16040039
10. Murray K, Oldfield L, Stefanova I, et al. Biomarkers, omics and artificial intelligence for early detection of pancreatic cancer. Seminars in Cancer Biology. 2025;111:76-88. doi:10.1016/j.semcancer.2025.02.009
11. Sharma V, Semwal A, Lohani S, et al. Potential of circulating miR-6875 and miR-1307 as non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. Discov Oncol. 2025;16:1710. doi:10.1007/s12672-025-03490-3
12. Hesami Z, Pazienza V, Olfatifar M, et al. Integrated periodontal pathogens and circulating miRNAs: a novel non-invasive panel of biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2025;15:1678114. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2025.1678114
13. Wang SJ, Hu Z, Li C, et al. Automatically Detecting Pancreatic Cysts in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease on MRI Using Deep Learning. Tomography. 2024;10(7):1148-1158. doi:10.3390/tomography10070087
14. Li B, Zhang J, Fu H, et al. Abdominal multi-organ segmentation on 3D negative-contrast CT cholangiopancreatography: a comparative study of deep learning methods. Abdom Radiol (NY). Published online November 18, 2025. doi:10.1007/s00261-025-05273-4
15. Britton N. UCL researchers secure MRC Gap Fund to pilot AI tool transforming cancer diagnostics | Faculty of Engineering. October 29, 2025. Accessed November 28, 2025. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/engineering/news/2025/oct/ucl-researchers-secure-mrc-gap-fund-pilot-ai-tool-transforming-cancer-diagnostics
16. Gupta M, Choi H, Kemp SB, et al. Multimetric MRI Captures Early Response and Acquired Resistance of Pancreatic Cancer to KRAS Inhibitor Therapy. bioRxiv. Published online April 17, 2025:2024.11.22.624844. doi:10.1101/2024.11.22.624844
17. Yang SH, Kuo SH, Lee JC, et al. Adding-on nivolumab to chemotherapy-stabilized patients is associated with improved survival in advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2024;73(11):227. doi:10.1007/s00262-024-03821-3
18. Xie N, Shen G, Huang C, Zhu H. Neoantigen-driven personalized tumor therapy: An update from discovery to clinical application. Chin Med J (Engl). 2025;138(17):2057-2090. doi:10.1097/CM9.0000000000003708
