Words by Jade Williams
Novocure’s Phase 3 PANOVA-3 trial has shown that adding Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) therapy to standard chemotherapy improved survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, specifically that cannot be removed by surgery.
Patients who received TTFields lived a median of 16.2 months, compared to 14.16 months for those on chemotherapy alone. The therapy was also well-tolerated, with no unexpected side effects.
Over time, overall survival (OS) rates continued to improve, with a 13% improvement in OS at 12 months and a 33% improvement at 24 months in the TTFields group. Subsequently, Novocure plans to apply for regulatory approval in the US, Europe, Japan and other regions.
“PANOVA-3 is the first and only Phase 3 trial to demonstrate a statistically significant benefit in overall survival specifically in unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic cancer,” said Nicolas Leupin, Chief Medical Officer, Novocure. “We look forward to sharing the full data at an upcoming medical conference.”
The company is also studying TTFields in another trial (PANOVA-4), testing it alongside immunotherapy and chemotherapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer. Results from the study are expected in 2026.
These findings suggest TTFields could become an important new option for treating advanced pancreatic cancer, which is hard to treat effectively and has limited therapeutic options.
