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PANOVA-3 is the trial behind the 2026 approval of a wearable electric-field device for pancreatic cancer, the first new approval in locally advanced disease in decades.
PANOVA-3, trial NCT03377491 sponsored by Novocure and reported in 2025, is the trial behind the 2026 approval of Optune Pax, a wearable electric-field device, for unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer, the first new approval in that setting in decades. It randomised 571 patients to tumour treating fields plus gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel or chemotherapy alone, met its primary overall survival endpoint with a modest effect presented at the ASCO 2025 plenary, and also improved pain-free survival, leading to FDA approval in the first quarter of 2026. OnCo links it to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, tumour treating fields, the Optune device record, gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel and Novocure. It is a single pivotal trial, and its open-label design and modest effect size are debated, so whether the device changes practice outside trial centres is the open question.
Numbers are from the trial as recorded here; see the source links in the table below. This is orientation, not medical advice: ask your team how closely the trial population matches you.
571 enrolled.
95% CI 10.3 to 22.8 · 95% CI 7.4 to 12.7
Source| Endpoint | Arm | n | Value | HR (95% CI) | p | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall survivalprimary | TTFields + gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel | 284 | 16.2 months | 0.82 (0.68 to 0.99) | 0.039 | link |
| Gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel | 287 | 14.2 months | ||||
| Pain-free survival | TTFields + gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel | - | 15.2 months | 0.74 (0.56 to 0.97) | 0.027 | link |
| Gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel | - | 9.1 months |
The full inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the registry record. Read 2026-10-07. Recruiting overall does not mean a particular site is open; ask the study team.
ClinicalTrials.gov data courtesy of the US National Library of Medicine.
Shares Novocure, Optune / Optune Pax (TTFields), Tumour treating fields (TTFields), Devices and physical therapies roadmap: heat and light → electric fields and focused sound → drug-releasing implants.
Shares Tumor Treating Fields With Gemcitabine and Nab-Paclitaxel for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Randomized, Open-Label, Pivotal Phase III PANOVA-3 Study, LAP07, Locally advanced unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Pancreatic cancer roadmap: from Whipple's operation to gemcitabine, FOLFIRINOX, adjuvant chemotherapy, PARP inhibition, KRAS inhibition, vaccines and the surveillance question.
Shares Novocure, Optune / Optune Pax (TTFields), Tumour treating fields (TTFields), Devices and physical therapies roadmap: heat and light → electric fields and focused sound → drug-releasing implants.
Shares Optune / Optune Pax (TTFields), Tumour treating fields (TTFields).
Shares Gemcitabine + nab-paclitaxel, Locally advanced unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Pancreatic cancer roadmap: from Whipple's operation to gemcitabine, FOLFIRINOX, adjuvant chemotherapy, PARP inhibition, KRAS inhibition, vaccines and the surveillance question, Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
Shares MPACT, Pancreatic cancer roadmap: from Whipple's operation to gemcitabine, FOLFIRINOX, adjuvant chemotherapy, PARP inhibition, KRAS inhibition, vaccines and the surveillance question, Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
Shares Novocure, Optune / Optune Pax (TTFields), Tumour treating fields (TTFields).
Shares LAP07, Locally advanced unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
Every source this page cites, grouped by who published it. Grouping is read from the web address, not assigned by hand.
A source that has moved or gone is reported by the weekly link check. /audit/