Donor’s generosity inspires hope for pancreatic cancer survivorship and treatment

Despite its relative low incidence compared to other cancers, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) identified pancreatic cancer as one of the leading causes of cancer deaths nationwide – with a staggering five-year relative survival rate of 12.8% compared to 26.7% for lung and bronchus cancer and 91.2% for breast cancer. To combat this, researchers within the Henry Ford Pancreatic Cancer Center (HFPCC) are working to advance understanding of pancreatic cancer to enable early detection measures and improve patient outcomes.

The HFPCC is fueled by philanthropy – and epitomizes every day the concept of donors powering incredible progress in healthcare. Launched with a combined gift of $36 million from an anonymous donor, the Center has since worked relentlessly toward the mission of improving the early detection, survival rates and quality of life for patients with pancreatic cancer. Through their efforts, the team hopes to change the trajectory of the pancreatic cancer landscape, whereby 80% of new patients are diagnosed early enough for curative intent and with more effective treatment.

Integral to the Center’s ability to provide superior pancreatic cancer care are the team members dedicating themselves to improving survivorship and quality of life for our patients. Donor funding has enabled the team to recruit world-class scientists more quickly and seed crucial research – building out the administrative structure of the HFPCC, endowing the Center with critical resources to sustain impactful research and ensure clinical breakthroughs for cancer patients in the future.

“The desire to do this transformational research was a grand idea that we could never execute without the assistance of transformational donations,” said David S. Kwon, M.D., Clinical Director, Henry Ford Pancreatic Cancer Center. “Now, we believe we are on a path towards an early detection test for pancreas cancer that will come to fruition in the near future. I think the next decade of the pancreatic cancer program will be extremely exciting. Our understanding of pancreas cancer is increasing significantly with the resources we now have. We’re most excited about synthesizing and doing complex analysis of patient clinical and molecular data to translate that back into patient care.”

The Henry Ford Pancreatic Cancer Center has grown into a dynamic and diverse team led by David S. Kwon, M.D., Howard Crawford, Ph.D., Philip Philip, M.D., Ph.D., and Madelyn Van Tassel, driving innovation at an unprecedented rate. Together they are accelerating discovery for early detection and new therapies, leading international efforts toward helping people with pancreatic cancer live longer. In collaboration with researchers and specialists throughout the world, the HFPCC team is working to identify early detection biomarkers, build one of the world’s most robust biorepositories for research efforts, establish cell models for drug development and use sophisticated computational analysis to identify potential patterns in cancer development and treatment response.

Much of this work is driven through multiomic studies – a function of precision medicine which integrates a range of biological data to create a more holistic picture of the molecular and cellular factors that contribute to an individual’s disease profile. One of the HFPCC’s key strategies is to develop the largest and most diverse biobank and multiomics database. Research conducted from these databases not only drives personalized care, but also advances our support of underserved populations by enabling scientists and clinicians to translate their findings within our diverse patient population and beyond – boosting Henry Ford Health’s commitment to advancing health equity.

“To perform meaningful research, it is imperative to have a diverse patient population reflective of the actual population. That allows the HFPCC to address the disparities in cancer care that other organizations are otherwise unable to address. We can address it at a clinical level, a socioeconomic level, and we can actually address it at a molecular level,” explained Dr. Kwon.

Now in year seven of their work, the team has been awarded 24 funded grants, including four prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grants – one of which was recently awarded to HFPCC Scientific Director Howard Crawford, funded at over $3.5 million. In 2024, the team also achieved recognition as an Academic and Clinical Center of Excellence by the National Pancreas Foundation and was selected to be the first of four inaugural institutions to participate in the Alliance for Research and Patient Care in Pancreatic Cancer by the Lustgarten Foundation – which will bring together leading institutions across the country seeking to understand how research impacts treatment and care in a culturally competent and sensitive manner.

The donor’s decision to propel leading-edge cancer care, research and treatment through their gifts was foundational to all of these remarkable milestones, which together advance work that aims to usher in the day when early detection of pancreatic cancer is not just a reality, but the standard of care; and where pancreatic cancer patients are not just surviving – but thriving, thanks to treatment that makes the condition manageable.