On Aug. 15, 2016, Siteman Cancer Center received a $10.4 million five-year grant to Washington University researchers and physicians at Siteman Cancer Center to lead a national group of experts in collaborative pancreatic cancer research.

The award, a prestigious Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant, helped scientists pursue new treatments for the deadliest form of the disease, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, including development of more effective chemotherapies and a vaccine.

The pancreas, an organ that lies between the stomach and spine, has two primary functions: making enzymes that are released into the small intestine to help digest food, and making insulin and other hormones that help control blood sugar levels.

While the lifetime risk of developing pancreatic cancer is low – about 1.5 percent for the average American – fewer than 8 percent of patients survive more than five years after they’re diagnosed, according to the NCI. This year, an estimated 53,070 people will be diagnosed with the disease in the U.S., including 1,080 in Missouri and 2,120 in Illinois, according to the American Cancer Society. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy can extend survival and/or relieve symptoms, but they rarely serve as a cure.

The award was the second SPORE grant currently held by Washington University researchers. The other, a $11.3 million, five-year award given in 2013, is for leukemia research.