Rapid Access to Care Will Save Lives
For patients facing pancreatic cancer, time is precious. Patients often need to be seen by several specialists and there can be significant delays in arranging these appointments and subsequent tests. Unfortunately, during this time the cancer can progress.
Since its inception, the Rapid Access Clinic has helped reduce the time elapsed between diagnosis and the start of treatment, significantly reducing stress for patients and their families facing pancreatic cancer. The Rapid Access Clinic supports patients by:
- Consolidating specialist consults in a single day.
- Expediting testing.
- Performing cutting-edge genetic profiling at the time of diagnosis, leading to tailored therapies for each individual patient.
- Creating an invaluable support network of nurse practitioners that guide patients through the process and help coordinate appointments with other specialists.
Biobank Program Analyzes Tumour Samples to Better Understand the Disease
Thanks to donor support, Pancreas Centre BC established the Biobank and Genetic Evaluation Program for Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer in 2015. The main focus of the Biobank Program is to determine genetic changes associated with pancreatic cancer.
Current aims include collecting pancreatic cancer tissue from patients with advanced disease, making metastatic cancer tissue available to researchers through the biobank, and identifying genetic changes associated with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Although the risk factors for pancreatic cancer are not well known, it is known that there’s a genetic link to the disease through BRCA1/2 and other gene mutations, which can lead to an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer for some individuals and families. By identifying a hereditary risk, BC Cancer experts can help stop pancreatic cancer before it starts.
Clinical Trials Support Innovative Treatment Options
The Biobank Program also helps support a multi-site clinical trial called PanGen (Prospectively Defining Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Subtypes by Comprehensive Genomic Analysis).
PanGen is an innovative study that involves sequencing metastatic tumours in the hopes of better understanding the pathways that are driving growth and identifying more effective treatment. Researchers closely monitor patients from the time of diagnosis through treatment, genetically sequencing tumours and evaluating treatment response with regular blood tests and imaging.
By applying personalized genomic analysis to pancreatic cancer tumours, the PanGen team hopes to identify unique biomarkers that will result in more effective treatments.
Help BC Cancer improve outcomes by donating today to improve early detection and develop better treatments for people facing pancreatic cancer.