Key Clinical Takeaways: 

• Design/Population: This phase 2, open-label, single-arm trial evaluated durvalumab plus olaparib among patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer harboring BRCA1, BRCA2, or PALB2 mutations who achieved a response following platinum-based chemotherapy.
• Key Outcomes: The combination achieved an objective response rate of 32.5% and a disease control rate of 77.5%, with a median duration-of-response of 14.5 months. Median progression-free survival was 6.7 months, and median overall survival was 15.4 months.
• Clinical Relevance: These findings suggest that dual immune checkpoint inhibition and PARP inhibition may represent a feasible treatment strategy for DNA damage repair–mutated metastatic pancreatic cancer following platinum therapy, warranting further investigation to refine patient selection.

According to results from a single-arm phase 2 study, durvalumab plus olaparib demonstrated strong clinical promise among patients with DNA damage repair-altered metastatic pancreatic cancer.

These findings were presented by Teresa Macarulla, MD, PhD, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, Spain, at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San Francisco, California.

In this open-label, multicenter study, 40 patients harboring BRCA1, BRCA2, or PALB2 mutations who achieved partial or complete response following platinum-based chemotherapy received 300 mg of twice daily olaparib plus 1500 mg of durvalumab once every 4 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR). Key secondary end points included disease control rate, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. 

At a median follow-up of 11.9 months, the ORR was 32.5% and median duration of response was 14.5 months. Median PFS was 6.7 months with a 12-month PFS rate of 37% and 24-month PFS rate of 22%. The disease control rate was 77.5% and median OS was 15.4 months. Grade ≥ 3 treatment-emergent adverse events were reported in 37.5% of patients, most frequently including asthenia, nausea, and anemia. Grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events were reported in 15% of patients, and most frequently (10%) included anemia. 

“Durvalumab plus olaparib demonstrated promising and durable anti-tumor activity, with a manageable safety profile, in patients with DDR-mutated mPC following platinum-based chemotherapy,” concluded Dr Macarulla. “Further research is needed to better identify patients with prolonged disease control.”

Source: 

Castet F, Garcia-Carbonero R, Lobo M, et al. Phase II study of durvalumab plus olaparib in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer and DNA damage repair gene alterations. Presented at ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. January 8 - 12, 2026; San Francisco, California. Abstract 724