<h4>Background</h4>The prognostic and predictive role of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) in localized, non-metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has not yet been explored.<h4>Patients and methods</h4>During the prospective randomized phase II NEOLAP-1 (AIO-PAK-0113) trial for patients with therapy-naive locally advanced (borderline or unresectable) PDAC, blood (<i>n</i> = 131) and tumor tissue samples (<i>n</i> = 39) were collected. This evidence concerns the gene GDF15 and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.