Gemcitabine News and Research

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Gemcitabine is the active ingredient in a drug that is used to treat pancreatic cancer that is advanced or has spread. It is also used together with other drugs to treat breast cancer that has spread, advanced ovarian cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer that is advanced or has spread. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Gemcitabine blocks the cell from making DNA and may kill cancer cells. It is a type of antimetabolite

New drug delivers promising survival gains in pancreatic cancer

About 90% of people with pancreatic cancer have pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which is driven by an activating mutation in the KRAS gene.

9 Aug 2026

Stealth nanoparticles improve pancreatic cancer treatment with fewer side effects

Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the most lethal cancer because it is often diagnosed late and is difficult to treat.

14 Jul 2026

Targeted therapy shows promise against KRAS-driven metastatic pancreatic cancer

An investigational targeted therapy designed to block one of the most common genetic drivers of pancreatic cancer has shown promising early results when combined with standard first-line chemotherapy, according to research presented today at the ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress 2026.

3 Jul 2026

New study tests vitamin D analog against pancreatic cancer

A small clinical trial led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers put a Salk Institute idea to the test in patients: that activating the vitamin D receptor can help reshape the protective environment surrounding pancreatic tumors in ways that could make the notoriously difficult-to-treat cancer more vulnerable to therapeutic treatments.

26 May 2026

Immunotherapy drug helps bladder cancer patients avoid major organ removal

A drug that helps the immune system find cancer cells also helps patients avoid having their bladders surgically removed (cystectomy), a new study shows.

22 Apr 2026

Experimental drug shows survival benefit in pancreatic cancer trial

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers and among the hardest to treat, with most patients surviving less than a year after diagnosis.

14 Apr 2026

Popular vitamin B3 supplements could weaken cancer therapy effectiveness

Millions of Americans take daily supplements-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide (NAM)-to boost energy, slow aging and protect the heart and brain.

1 Apr 2026

New nanomaterial enhances bioimaging and targeted cancer drug delivery

The Nanomedicine and Nanotoxicology Group (GNano) at the University of São Paulo's São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC-USP) in Brazil has discovered a way to transform hydroxyapatite, a bioceramic material, into a nanoparticle with enhanced intrinsic luminescence.

18 Mar 2026

RNA micelles enable targeted chemotherapy without immune toxicity

A new study in mice hints at the potential to use tiny particles made with RNA molecules to deliver chemotherapy drugs and other therapies directly to tumors, killing cancer cells without generating an immune response or toxicity-related side effects.

7 Feb 2026

CT-based quantification of tumor fibrosis guides chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer

On October 3, 2025, a multicenter team from Shenzhen University, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, among others jointly reported a novel noninvasive method for quantifying tumor fibrosis based on preoperative enhanced CT.

23 Dec 2025

New formulation of chemotherapy drug opens doors to advanced cancer treatment options

University of Arizona researchers devised a new method to deliver cancer chemotherapy drugs to pancreatic and breast cancer tumors more effectively and with less damage to healthy tissues than standard forms of chemotherapy.

21 Aug 2025

New drug-releasing system eliminates tumors in 82% of high-risk bladder cancer patients

A new drug-releasing system, TAR-200, eliminated tumors in 82% of patients in a phase 2 clinical trial for individuals with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer whose cancer had previously resisted treatment.

13 Aug 2025

Blocking nutrient scavenging weakens pancreatic tumor defenses

Cancer cells and tumors do not exist in a vacuum. Far from the isolation and self-sufficiency of the fictional Wakanda, tumors develop in and alter the nearby milieu of immune cells, connective tissue, blood vessels and a sea of proteins and carbohydrates that provide structure and other supportive functions.

24 Jul 2025

Galectin-3 identified as key driver of chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and is characterized by a poor prognosis and rising mortality.

17 Jul 2025

Combination therapy sets new survival standard for advanced biliary tract cancer

In a follow-up analysis to the pivotal TOPAZ-1 study, which established the combination therapy of durvalumab (an immunotherapy drug) plus gemcitabine and cisplatin (GemCis, chemotherapy drugs) as the first-line treatment for people with advanced biliary tract cancer (aBTC), researchers have shown that after three years more than twice as many study participants treated with durvalumab plus GemCis had survived compared to those treated with a placebo plus GemCis.

10 Jul 2025

Rare ovarian tumor found during postmenopausal surgery for pelvic organ prolapse

A new case report was published in Volume 12 of Oncoscience on May 22, 2025, titled "A rare case: Pure Sertoli cell tumor uncovered in atrophic ovary during postmenopausal vault prolapse evaluation."

13 Jun 2025

Enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab show major benefits for urothelial carcinoma patients

Urothelium is the term for the mucous membrane that lines the urinary tract. This includes the renal pelvis, ureter, urinary bladder and the upper part of the urethra. In the vast majority of cases, urothelial carcinomas grow in the bladder (bladder carcinoma).

4 Apr 2025

New clinical trial aims to extend survival for bile duct cancer patients

A new clinical trial, sponsored by UCL and UCLH, aims to extend survival for some patients with cancer in the biliary tract by treating them with therapies specifically tailored to the genetic profile of their tumor.

17 Jan 2025

Triple-drug chemo fails to improve survival in advanced biliary tract cancer

The results of a clinical trial led by researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology showed that chemotherapy combining three different types of drugs did not improve overall survival for patients with advanced stage, inoperable biliary tract cancers.