Chemotherapy is the most conventional treatment against cancer. It uses medication to kill cells, and in particular cancer cells. But it does not target cancer cells specifically. It can be used by itself or in combination with other treatments, such as radiotherapy (see below) or surgery, to make them more effective.

Chemotherapy is usually administered intravenously at a hospital in the course of several sessions, but it can also consist of tablets taken at home. It can include one drug or a combination of drugs.

The statistics for pancreatic cancer are sobering. With a five-year survival rate of only 9%, incidence of the most common type, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), is growing and projected to be the second cause of cancer deaths by 2030. Surgery remains the most effective treatment, yet for 70-80% of patients, surgery is not a viable option. Understanding pancreatic cancer at the cellular and subcellular level is essential for developing therapies that can buy patients more time.