Invest in a future where we measure survival in years, not months.
Early detection is the ultimate key to unlocking the full potential of new breakthrough treatments.
Why Early Detection Matters
Most pancreatic cancer patients are not diagnosed until stage 4, after the disease has spread.
There is still no early-stage detection method. To save more lives and transform outcomes, we must diagnose pancreatic cancer earlier.
Earlier detection is what gives patients the best opportunity to benefit from recent breakthroughs and those still to come.
Our goal is for survival to be measured in years, not months.
Support Early Detection Research
"What distinguishes Pancreatic Cancer North America is their clear-eyed recognition of this as a crisis and their decisive commitment to address it.
Pancreatic Cancer North America’s leadership is reshaping what is possible for this disease, and their work has the potential to transform how pancreatic cancer is diagnosed and treat."
-Dr. Anirban Maitra, Project Co-Lead, Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Pathology, Co-Director, GI Cancer, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health
The Breakthrough We Are Building
A next generation early detection tool
Recognizing that early detection represents the greatest opportunity to transform survival outcomes, PCNA has launched an ambitious initiative to accelerate innovation where it is needed most.
This work, led by Dr. Eugene Koay and Dr. Johannes Farhmann from MD Anderson Cancer Center and partnered with an extraordinary network of institutions across North America, combines two powerful approaches:
- Blood-based biomarkers capable of detecting subtle biological changes associated with disease development
- Artificial intelligence-driven analysis of routine CT imaging capable of identifying patterns invisible to the human eye
Together, these technologies may identify pancreatic cancer months – and potentially years – before conventional diagnosis.
Unlike many emerging technologies that require entirely new systems, this approach is designed around tools already present in healthcare settings today – standard bloodwork and routine imaging – creating a realistic pathway toward large-scale implementation across healthcare systems.
Early Detection Changes Everything
For the first time, we have the opportunity to change the timeline of this disease.
Identify cancer before symptoms appear
Rather than waiting for patients to become sick, this approach seeks to identify subtle biological and structural signals that may emerge long before diagnosis.
It is designed for real-world adoption
The model relies on existing clinical tools like blood sampling and CT scans that are already embedded within healthcare systems, creating a practical pathway toward scale.
Improve access to life-saving treatment
Most pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed too late for surgery, which remains the only potentially curative treatment option. Detecting the disease earlier can fundamentally alter survival outcomes.
Built on unprecedented data
The study leverages one of the largest and most valuable repositories of pre-diagnostic blood and imaging data ever assembled in pancreatic cancer research, enabling accelerated validation and clinical translation.
We know this disease can be beaten - but only if we find it early.
Your support will fuel the next phase of this revolutionary project to catch pancreatic cancer before it’s too late.
