Hemant Kocher, Professor of Liver and Pancreas Surgery at the Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary, University of London put forward this proposal, and steered it through the NHS England process of policy proposition and stakeholder testing, working alongside Pancreatic Cancer UK, the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, patients, pharmacists, commissioner, clinicians and scientists.
New treatment option for pancreatic cancer in England
We are delighted that NHS England has announced that a new treatment combination will be available as a treatment for people with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.
This means hundreds of patients will now have access to more treatment options – something we have been calling for through our Demand Survival Now campaign. This is crucial as currently 7 in 10 people with pancreatic cancer receive no treatment.
Our Policy and Health Improvement Manager Johanna Taylor shares more details.
There are different treatment options for people with pancreatic cancer. Currently the range of treatments available is limited, and some people who are already very poorly can struggle to deal with the side effects of treatment and maintain a good quality of life.
That’s why it is vital that people with pancreatic cancer have more treatment options available to them.
What is the new treatment option?
Gemcitabine and paclitaxel albumin combination chemotherapy has been recommended by NHS England to be available as a treatment option for locally advanced pancreatic cancer. This is also known as stage 3 pancreatic cancer. Paclitaxel albumin is also called nab-paclitaxel or Abraxane.
This combination has previously been an option for patients with stage 4 (advanced) cancer that has spread to other organs, but not for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.
We believe the introduction of this treatment option in England will create greater choice in treatment and care while ensuring more people can access treatment and have the chance to live longer.
We understand this new treatment option will be available to people with locally advanced pancreatic cancer across England within the coming months. It will be available for people with locally advanced cancer who are well enough for it, and haven’t had chemotherapy.
It will also be available for people who have had chemotherapy before or after surgery more than 6 months ago. It won’t be an option for people who have had chemotherapy in the last 6 months.
What is locally advanced pancreatic cancer?
Locally advanced pancreatic cancer is stage three cancer. The cancer has spread to the large blood vessels near the pancreas, or to several lymph nodes. It has not yet spread to other parts of the body.
If you have locally advanced pancreatic cancer, it’s not usually possible to remove the cancer with surgery. You may be offered chemotherapy on its own first, and then sometimes with radiotherapy (chemoradiotherapy) afterwards. This aims to shrink the cancer and slow down its growth. For a small number of people, these treatments may make surgery to remove the cancer possible.
Why is this good news for patients?
This new development promises to increase treatment options for people with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.
The chemotherapy used to treat patients with locally advanced cancer now is usually a combination therapy called FOLFIRINOX. FOLFIRINOX is only given to people who are well enough to deal with (tolerate) a few different chemotherapy drugs. This is because it can cause side effects that can be hard to cope with.
The availability of gemcitabine-nab-paclitaxel is good news for these patients, as it may have less severe side effects and be easier to deal with.
Read more about Nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane®)
Is this treatment available across the UK?
While this combination has previously been an option for patients with stage 4 (advanced) cancer elsewhere in the UK, it has not been routinely approved as a treatment option for people with stage 3 (locally advanced) cancer.
We hope it will soon be available across the UK and will monitor progress on this in partnership with the clinical community. This combination is already recommended for this patient group in Europe and the USA.
How did we support this decision?
We want to ensure that people have access to the best possible standard of care and treatment available. We have worked closely with the healthcare professionals who proposed this new treatment option to support the development of the original proposal that was submitted to NHS England.
Our Director of Director of Services, Research & Influencing wrote to NHS decision makers ahead a crucial meeting in May 2026, known as the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group, to urge them to approve routine use of this chemotherapy combination.
We are delighted with this outcome and would like to thank the clinicians involved in developing this proposal, and our supporters for continuing to raise awareness of the need for more treatment options through our Demand Survival Now campaign
How can I find out more?
You can read the full commissioning statement on NHS England’s website.
