As the nights grow longer and pumpkins glow, researchers are lighting up the darkness around pancreatic disease with new tools and breakthroughs. By combining “boo-marker” biomarkers with new imaging techniques, doctors are moving faster than ever to outpace pancreatic tumors’ notorious tricks – late-stage diagnoses and sneaky recurrences.

This autumn’s update: functional MRIs that don’t just take static snapshots but also provide doctors with a peek at a dynamic image of the effect of KRAS^G12D inhibition and the tumor’s response. This recent discovery provides clinicians with precious lead time to change course, rather than months of potential cancer regrowth.

In a recent study conducted at Mass General and Harvard Medical School, researchers reported how SSZS (secretagogue-stimulated zinc secretion) MRIs are not only effective at early identification of pancreatic cancer, but also at detecting “treatment responses to KRAS^G12D inhibition within 3 to 5 days and identified cancer recurrence as early as 1 day post-treatment withdrawal. Additionally, secretagogue stimulation improved treatment responses and delayed recurrence in both treatment models.”¹ With earlier detection methods alone, the 5-year survival rate of PDAC (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma) can be significantly raised (50% 5-year survivability rate vs 9% 5-year survivability rate using traditional diagnostic practices).¹ Add the additional treatment benefits of SSZS MRIs and there is a significant chance of revolutionizing the survivability rate of pancreatic cancers.

The mechanism behind this test method is the highly dysregulated zinc homeostasis in PDAC patients. Researchers determined zinc dysregulation is specific to PDAC and not found in non-cancer related pancreatitis, liver metastasis, or generalized metastatic cancers.¹ Therefore, this diagnostic method has a level of sensitivity and specificity that other pancreatic disease diagnostic methods lack. Furthermore, after testing a variety of stimulatory injections, researchers determined the most effective secretagogue used for SSZS MRIs was a combination of secretin and caerulein.¹ This combination maximized exocrine pancreatic zinc secretion and in turn amplified the notable zinc dysregulation in cancerous patients.

This breakthrough could help teams spot the first flickers of recurrence long before they become a full-blown fright. It promises fewer tricks and more treats for patients—translating cutting-edge imaging into earlier interventions and, ultimately, brighter outcomes for patients beyond the spooky season.

References

¹Clavijo Jordan, V., Sojoodi, M., Moloudi, F., Gonzalez-Pagan, P., Jin, M., Pantazopoulos, P., . . . Eissa, I. (2025). Molecular Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Dysregulated Zinc Secretion Detects Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Lesions and Response to KRASG12D Inhibitor Treatment. Cancer Res. doi:https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-24-3384