[4][5] Since the disease is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. around 2020,[6] the organization established a goal, called the "Vision of Progress", to double pancreatic cancer survival by 2020.

[4] The nonprofit seeks to fulfill the goal by spreading greater awareness and increasing funds for research to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.

[7] The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network was founded in February 1999 by a group of survivors and caregivers including Pamela Acosta Marquardt, Paula Kim and Terry Lierman.

[13] The organization offers grants for basic, translational and clinical research in pancreatic cancer to scientists and clinicians at various career levels.

[17] They provide scientific and clinical expertise to guide PanCAN in planning and implementing research initiatives, in-depth information and educational services for patients, their families and caregivers, as well as healthcare professionals.

[9] As a result of the office’s efforts, Dr. Randy Pausch testified in support of the cause and PanCAN in the House Appropriations Subcommittee on L-HHS in 2008 about the need for increased funding for pancreatic cancer research.

[23] The precision medicine service, initiated in 2014, uses molecular profiling to give doctors and their patients, who qualify for the program, details about the biology of their tumor to help select better treatment options.

[10] Launched in 2015, the free online resource offers patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals access to an extensive directory of U.S. pancreatic cancer clinical trials.

[25] PanCAN's network of volunteer affiliates organize community events, build relationships with local media and meet with elected officials and businesses to spread awareness and raise funds.

[25] In 2013, international patient advocacy organizations focused on pancreatic cancer gathered to consider collaborating to raise awareness worldwide about the disease and supporting the work of one another.

[26] PanCAN president and CEO Julie Fleshman serves as chair of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition Steering Committee.

[27] It is a consortium of patient advocacy organizations and professional societies from across the United States dedicated to resolving issues of policies involving the nation’s most lethal, or recalcitrant, cancers, which have five-year relative survival rates below 50 percent.