Pancreatic Cancer Center

We have developed a new paradigm for approaching the research and treatment of pancreatic cancer and non-cancerous pancreatic tumors.

Designated as a National Pancreas Foundation Center of Excellence for our patient-centered care, we are leaders in the treatment and early detection and prevention of pancreatic cancer. We are one of 15 clinical trial sites for Precision Promise℠, which aims to accelerate new treatment options for people who have pancreatic cancer. Our goal at the Pancreatic Cancer Center, part of Perlmutter Cancer Center, is to increase the 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer from 9 percent to 50 percent within the next 10 years.

We have developed a unique pancreatic cancer risk assessment tool to help determine whether you may be at higher risk. For those at an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, our doctors perform genetic testing and screening for early detection of developing tumors, which can increase the survival rate for pancreatic cancer. Our clinic has a dedicated genetics counselor to assist in the care of our patients.

We also serve as a coordinating center for the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Consortium (PRECEDE), an international group of 35 centers working together to transform risk assessment and early detection and prevention of pancreatic cancer. With this collaborative effort, we aim to better identify who is at risk of pancreatic cancer so that we can develop more effective detection and prevention strategies.

Advanced Approaches to Pancreatic Cancer Care

We put patients at the center of every healthcare decision. Every patient’s individual medical needs are discussed at our weekly meetings with our multidisciplinary team of experts, and a personalized treatment plan is developed to ensure that you receive the care and treatment that’s best for you. Our services include the most advanced techniques in endoscopic and surgical treatments and the latest medical therapies. Through support groups and counseling, we provide psychological assistance to patients and their caregivers during treatment.

We also offer innovative medical and surgical approaches to treat people who have locally advanced pancreatic cancer, a type of cancer that has invaded or advanced toward blood vessels and other tissues around the pancreas. Led by Diane M. Simeone, MD, and Alec J. Megibow, MD, our team has developed national imaging guidelines for the proper staging and diagnosis of locally advanced pancreatic cancer, which are currently being used as the standard of care.

Treatment options include chemotherapy, chemoradiation, or multiagent clinical trials before surgery, called neoadjuvant therapy, which is designed to shrink the tumor and make it easier to remove it completely. Dr. Simeone and Theodore H. Welling, MD, are nationally recognized hepato-pancreatic surgeons with extensive experience in complex pancreatic tumors with vascular involvement. They have both performed hundreds of surgical procedures requiring vascular reconstruction for these types of pancreatic cancer with excellent patient outcomes.

Pancreatic Cancer Research and Clinical Trials

Our experts at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center work together to carry out groundbreaking basic and translational research. We have one of the largest portfolios of clinical trials for pancreatic cancer in the country and are one of the few centers in the United States with multiple clinical trials for locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

We also have among the highest levels of National Institutes of Health funding for pancreatic cancer in the country, with a large number of scientists dedicated to make advances in understanding the biology of pancreatic cancer and the development of new treatments.

Make an Appointment

We are available to respond to any questions or concerns that you might have and to help you make an appointment. Often, pancreatic cancer has few early symptoms and is therefore diagnosed at an advanced stage. For this reason, we make sure that you can be seen by one of our doctors within one week of your request for an appointment.