Why ‘There is Hope’ For Patients With Pancreatic Cancer

Coinciding with the observation of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month in November, CURE sat down for an interview with Dr. Rosario Ligresti to discuss a range of topics including the rising incidence of pancreatic cancer among relatively younger adults, common risk factors for the disease and advice for newly diagnosed patients.

Of note, Ligresti spoke with CURE following the death of Grammy-winning American R&B singer D’Angelo, who died in October 2025 at the age of 51 from pancreatic cancer.

Ligresti is the chief of Gastroenterology and director of the Pancreas Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, in New Jersey.

CURE: What is driving the increasing incidence of pancreatic cancer among younger adults?

Ligresti: On average, when we looked at prior statistics, we generally start to think about pancreatic cancer being a disease of increased incidence in patients greater than the age of 50 to 55. But more recently, we found that there's actually a rising incidence in patients aged 15 to 39, which is a truly shocking statistic, and certainly alters our perception of what we think of as pancreatic cancer in an older population. This came to light over the last few years, that for whatever reason, there are a group of cancers, particularly GI malignancies, that are on the rise in young people.

If we stopped and thought about why that might be and why you're seeing this, there are only a handful of risk factors that we can think about. At the very top, it's probably things like morbid obesity, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption, things that are commonly seen in a younger population and at the same time probably have some role to play in some of these cancer incidences. But again, it's a real phenomenon.

In the earlier part of this year, in one of our larger journals, in JAMA, they looked at data from 2000 to 2021, and found a 4% increased incidence in that age group, which is just truly shocking that you would have pancreatic cancer under the age of 39. But it's something that we certainly see, and it defies explanation to some degree.

What are the most important lifestyle and genetic risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer, especially in younger patients?

In general, there are risk factors that patients have some control over, such as lifestyle factors like obesity, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Then, there are other risk factors that patients have no control over, such as genetic mutations. In a younger-age population, certain mutations are more commonly seen in this age group. For example, BRCA (the breast cancer antigen) includes BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are well-known cancer-causing gene mutations generally associated with breast and ovarian cancer, but they also play a significant role in patients with pancreatic cancer.

What we see in younger patients with pancreatic cancer is that it tends to occur more often in women and is likely related to a combination of lifestyle factors and genetic mutations.

What are the latest treatment advancements for pancreatic cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy, and emerging therapies?

The most important factor in all of this is early detection. Increased awareness matters greatly, and when we see deaths like D’Angelo’s, it raises national interest in whether this is something that might be common and potentially affect others. Early detection is crucial.

So, when can you actually intervene in pancreatic cancer? It is when the tumor is very small and confined to the pancreas. Surgery still plays the most significant role in managing these patients. It makes sense that patients engaged in early detection programs are more likely to have tumors discovered when they are small and operable.

Over time, there have been some advancements in chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, but for the most part, chemotherapy remains secondary to surgery. Unfortunately, newer therapies like immunotherapy (which have shown great success in other gastrointestinal malignancies, such as colon cancer) have limited effectiveness in pancreatic cancer. The tumor appears largely resistant to immunotherapy, primarily due to the tumor microenvironment. The area surrounding the pancreas suppresses the immune system locally, making immunotherapy a poor treatment option.

Thus, surgery remains the most effective treatment. While there have been some refinements in surgical techniques since the procedure was first introduced in the 1940s, these improvements are not sufficient to make surgery viable for all patients. Chemotherapy continues to play a supportive role.

How does Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month help educate patients and families and encourage screening and early detection?

It’s extremely important. We work hard to increase national awareness because patients often don’t think about pancreatic cancer. It is not common like colon or breast cancer — it’s almost like the “poor stepchild” of cancers that people overlook. Yet, it is arguably one of the most lethal cancers. Awareness months help bring it to the forefront.

Linking the disease to well-known patients, such as Pavarotti, D’Angelo, and Alex Trebek, helps people relate. Suddenly, they think, “I actually know someone with pancreatic cancer,” or “What about my mom who had it?” That’s when the idea of screening or surveillance starts to click. Without increased awareness (both nationally and locally) this disease would largely remain off people’s radar because it is not common enough to naturally come to mind.

What guidance or encouragement would you offer to patients who are newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and what treatment or supportive care options are available today?

I think now, in 2025, we really return to the message that there is hope. Years ago, pancreatic cancer was often considered a fatal diagnosis; patients were unlikely to survive beyond a year. Now, however, a combination of improved chemotherapy, surgical techniques, and gastroenterological care has significantly increased patient survival, even though it remains a challenging disease to treat. Overall mortality statistics reflect this progress. When I first started 20 years ago, the five-year survival rate was approximately 5%; today, it is about 12%. While that may not sound like a large increase, it represents meaningful progress over that period. Ideally, we would reach a 50% five-year survival, but there is still work to be done.

I tell patients right away that there is hope. There are many interventions we can offer, even if a cure is not possible. We can improve quality of life through better nutrition, management of jaundice, and effective pain control. Many of these supportive measures were not available in the past, and even some are only recently accessible. Patients now have more options to feel better while living with the disease.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.