rewriting the story of pancreatic cancer: the murphy family and precision medicine
5 minute read
dan murphy is living with pancreatic cancer after precision treatment at princess margaret cancer centre in toronto. he and and his family launched the murphy family fund to support the research that has saved his life.
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grace murphy says she was numb hearing the news that surgery was no longer an option to save her dad from pancreatic cancer. it had spread to his liver. pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly of all major cancers, and his was stage 4, the end of the line for many people who live only months after the diagnosis.
maybe he wouldn’t see her graduate from university or be there for all the milestones she and her younger sister, maeve, had expected him to be there for before he got sick. her dad, dan murphy, however, says he got lucky. he was referred to the oncology team at princess margaret cancer centre in toronto, where genetic testing and precision medicine have turned his cancer into a disease that he can live with.
precision medicine gave dan his life back
precision medicine is medicine at the “individual molecule level” that changed his life, he says. two-plus years later, the 55-year-old former toronto business executive is on a leading maintenance drug through research and clinical trials at princess margaret under the leadership of his oncologist, dr. erica tsang.
“what we found at princess margaret was hope,” his wife, kathy, says, holding back tears.
the murphy family spoke at a recent event at princess margaret to share their story and highlight the work of the research team and oncology lab at toronto’s mars discovery district, an innovation hub and a registered charity that is moving science forward.
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more than all this, the murphy story shows the power of philanthropy in funding research that couldn’t be done without it. the murphy family fund has raised $1.2 million so far, with friends and family members joining the cause (and celebrating dan’s progress at the event) to bring personalized cancer treatment to the forefront.
canadian statistics show that pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers, including breast or prostate cancer. the five-year survival rate is 10 per cent, which means that 90 per cent of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will die. and a significant 70 per cent of patients die within the first six months.
during the presentation, dr. tsang noted, “how grateful we are” to the murphy family. “pancreatic cancer is still treated as a one-size-fits-all approach with chemotherapy. we’re moving to a targeted approach, based on genetic changes, with the goal to target the cancer and minimize side effects.” the result, as in dan’s case, is that he’s living a better quality of life while taking a daily pill for his cancer.
through genetic testing, dan learned that he has the brca2 gene mutation for breast cancer. this meant that his pancreatic cancer was genetically linked back to his mom.
sponsored by:
pancreatic cancer north america
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statistics show that about five to 10 per cent of people with the harmful brca2 mutation will develop pancreatic cancer during their lifetime. dan was treated with chemotherapy that targeted the gene mutation. he wants to encourage more people with pancreatic cancer to have genetic testing so that the knowledge and pool of data will grow, allowing researchers to develop more precision treatments. if they can make a connection between your genetics and proven treatments, your care can be based on your genetic mutations and not just where the cancer is in your body, killing the cancer along with all cells and causing possible long-term damage.
raising money to fund the way forward
“it’s been quite overwhelming how this initiative has snowballed. from what kathy, grace, maeve and i thought was going to be a donation from us has turned into something so much more impactful,” dan says in an interview with healthing. the family is on a mission to get the fund to $2 million.
“from the multiple donors that have joined us to so many friends participating in a fundraising walk, to dedicating a mountain bike ride, to our kids’ friends putting on a charity football camp to setting up a lemonade and cookie stand. it has all been really amazing.”
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others who have worked with dr. tsang have also expressed their gratitude by donating to the fund. because of philanthropy supporting the work of dr. tsang and her colleagues, the hope is that more pancreatic cancer patients can experience a longer and higher quality of life like dan.
research initiatives include prosper-panc, working to develop tailored treatments for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (pdac), the most common type of pancreatic cancer. the study has 140 patients enrolled at centres across ontario, with dr. tsang and her team analyzing dna and rna (ribonucleic acid) from blood samples and tumour biopsies to identify mutations.
the team holds monthly tumour boards to discuss patient cases and recommend personalized treatment strategies for each patient. the data collected has been used to advocate for provincial funding from the ontario government. as of october 2025, the ontario government has approved a cancer care ontario-funded panel of genes to screen in all patients with pancreatic cancer with the aim to bring precision medicine to more patients.
the platinum trial has patients like dan with pancreatic cancer who carry a specific brca or palb2 genetic mutation and require highly personalized treatment approaches. dr. tsang leads this trial in the united states and has just brought it to canada where it focuses on these specific patients who have already received standard chemotherapy and in some cases a parp inhibitor, a targeted cancer therapy that can prevent cancer cells from repairing their dna (so cancer cells die). her team will be testing a new combination of three chemotherapy drugs to see if the intervention will improve survival rates and quality of life.
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the ablate study also explores the impact of a new radiation treatment for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. this high-dose ablative radiation is designed to directly destroy the tumour. early data suggest that this approach is more effective than standard radiation for these patients. the study will also include biopsies for detailed dna and rna testing to learn more about the genetic traits of this population.
finding ‘purpose’ after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis
for dan, there is a sense of purpose to his days, he tells healthing: “i’ve decided that i need to spend my energy on living rather than on dying. this is easier said than done and perhaps not for everyone, but it’s a mindset that makes living with cancer a lot easier for me. unquestionably, i am more grateful for the good things … i’ve come to the conclusion that in this dark cloud of my prognosis, there are silver linings and i try to focus on them.”
those silver linings are his family, friends, travel, and staying active with light exercise and walks with the dog. his cancer is stable, and he’s grateful for it, hoping his story will inspire others.
his wife, kathy, clearly a force of energy and determination, wants people to know there’s a place for having hope in pancreatic cancer.
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“we need to stop talking about cancer as a battle and a fight. we need to reframe cancer as a condition that you can live with,” kathy says at the presentation, holding dan’s hand in support. “it’s quite something that we’re here today.”
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