TTFields Therapy Improves Survival in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

⁣ Updated June 01, 2025

The addition of tumor treating fields (TTFields)⁤ therapy to standard chemotherapy significantly improved overall survival for patients with unresectable, locally⁤ advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma, according to a⁣ phase 3 trial. The PANOVA-3⁢ trial suggests TTFields ⁤with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel could become a new standard treatment ‌for this patient population.

Dr. Vincent J. Picozzi, ⁣lead author of the study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology⁣ (ASCO) 2025 Annual meeting, noted that this is the first phase 3 ⁢trial to demonstrate an overall survival benefit for any treatment‌ added to standard chemotherapy in this patient group, where the current 5-year overall survival rate is less than 8%. The study was also ⁢published in the Journal ⁤of Clinical Oncology.

TTFields therapy ​is a non-invasive treatment that delivers low-intensity electric fields to the tumor site using a wearable⁤ device. These electric fields disrupt cancer cell division and may⁤ also enhance anti-tumor responses,according‌ to Picozzi. The therapy is already approved for use in other cancers, including glioblastomas,‌ metastatic pleural mesothelioma,‌ and metastatic non-small ⁤cell lung ⁤cancer.

The open-label study ⁤involved 571 patients with unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma‌ across 196 ⁤sites in 20 countries. Patients were randomly ⁢assigned to receive either gemcitabine and⁢ nab-paclitaxel chemotherapy alone or the same chemotherapy plus TTFields. Patients in the TTFields group wore the device‍ for approximately 15 hours per day, for an⁤ average of 28 weeks.

The study found that overall survival was statistically improved in the TTFields arm compared to the control arm (16.2 vs. 14.2 months). The 1-year survival rate was ‌also higher in the TTFields group (68.1%​ vs. 60.2%). While there was no notable‍ difference ⁢in median progression-free survival, the 1-year progression-free survival rate was higher in the TTFields arm⁢ (43.9% vs 34.1%).

TTFields also showed a benefit in quality of life. Patients in the TTFields group experienced a longer pain-free survival (15.2 vs. 9.1 months) and improvements ⁢in global health status,pain,and digestive problems,according to quality-of-life analyses.

Most serious adverse events were related to​ chemotherapy ⁤or the underlying disease, and were not device-related. The most common device-related adverse events were mild-to-moderate skin reactions, which were manageable with topical treatments.

Study discussant Dr.brian M. Wolpin of the⁣ Dana-Farber Cancer Institute suggested⁤ that the combination of survival increase and quality-of-life benefits could make this⁣ a viable approach for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, pending regulatory‍ approvals.⁣ He also raised the question of whether TTFields could be combined⁤ with ‍other first-line chemotherapy regimens.

Dr. Michael ‌Chuong of Florida International University called the results exciting, noting that this is the first non-chemotherapy treatment to show a survival difference when added ⁣to chemotherapy for this disease. He‌ suggested that the trial’s findings indicate ttfields ‌may be most effective⁢ at⁢ delaying metastasis.

Chuong is currently conducting a phase 2 study combining TTFields with stereotactic ablative ‌body ⁣radiation (SABR) in the first-line setting, hypothesizing that this will delay metastasis.

The study was ⁤funded by Novocure GmbH.

Picozzi disclosed stock‌ and other ownership interests in Amgen,Cigna,Iovance⁢ Biotherapeutics,Johnson & Johnson,Lilly,McKesson,and ⁤Thermo fisher; a scientific consulting or advisory ⁢role with Revolution Medicines,TriSalus Life Sciences; and research funding from AbbVie,Amal Therapeutics,Astellas pharma,FibroGen,Ipsen,and NovoCureBrian.

Wolpin disclosed a consulting or advisory role with Agenus, BeiGene, EcoR1 Capital, Harbinger⁢ Health, ⁣Ipsen, Mirati Therapeutics, Revolution ⁢Medicines, ⁤Tango Therapeutics, and Third Rock Ventures; and research funding from Amgen (Inst), AstraZeneca (Inst), Harbinger Health (Inst), Lilly (Inst), Novartis (Inst), and Revolution Medicines (inst).

Chuong disclosed funding from Novocure, Viewray, and Stratpharma.

What’s next

Further research is needed to determine the‍ optimal use of TTFields therapy in combination ‌with other treatments for ⁤locally advanced pancreatic cancer and to identify which patients⁣ are most likely to ⁣benefit from this ⁤approach.