Targeted therapy and immunotherapy

Other cancer drug treatments include targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Targeted therapy targets specific features of cancer cells to stop the cancer growing and spreading, while immunotherapy uses the body’s own immune system to fight cancer.

The targeted therapy drug called olaparib has been shown to provide some benefit for people with metastatic pancreatic cancer who have the BRCA gene changes. This is only a small number of people with pancreatic cancer. Olaparib is approved for use in Australia but the cost is not yet covered by the government through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for pancreatic cancer (as at January 2022). Your doctors will be able to provide the latest information about its availability.

So far, other targeted therapy and immunotherapy drugs have had disappointing results for pancreatic cancer, but research is continuing and there are new clinical trials underway. Talk to your treatment team about whether a clinical trial is an option for you.

For more on this, see our general sections on Targeted therapy and Immunotherapy.

Podcast: Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy

Listen to more episodes from our podcast for people affected by cancer