Advancements in Treating Pancreatic Cancer with a New Drug

In a significant development, researchers announced on Sunday that a new pill has extended the lives of patients suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer. This raises hopes for improved treatments for a particularly lethal form of cancer.

“While it doesn’t cure the cancer, it’s certainly a major step forward,” commented Dr. Zev Wainberg from UCLA, who was part of the study team.

The medication, known as daraxonrasib, targets a mutated protein responsible for tumor growth in over 90% of pancreatic cancer cases—something that has been difficult to address for many years.

In a study involving 500 patients whose cancer had progressed despite previous treatments, daily doses of the drug nearly doubled survival times while causing fewer severe side effects. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and discussed at the recent American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago.

Patients on daraxonrasib survived a median of 13.2 months, compared to just 6.7 months for those on standard chemotherapy. Although this may not seem like a huge difference, Wainberg emphasized that it is the first drug to demonstrate a significant improvement over traditional chemotherapy options.

Dr. Rachna Shroff from the University of Arizona Cancer Center, who was not directly involved in the research, expressed her emotional response: “I actually started crying when I saw the study results.” She highlighted how patients on this treatment experienced meaningful benefits, allowing them to remain on it longer.

Though the drug’s efficacy diminishes over time, users found they were able to stay on it significantly longer than those receiving chemotherapy. Many reported less pain and an improved quality of life as their tumors shrank. Wainberg noted that ongoing tracking could reveal even larger survival advantages as more data becomes available.

Dr. Brian Wolpin from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who presented the data, stated that this drug should be considered a “new standard of care” for patients dealing with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Researchers are also interested in testing its effectiveness at earlier stages of the disease to see if it could enable more patients to qualify for surgery.

However, some side effects, such as severe rash and mouth sores, are potential concerns for patients using the pill.

The study was funded by Revolution Medicines, and the FDA plans to accelerate its review process. Meanwhile, the agency is enabling “expanded access” for eligible patients. Notably, former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse has publicly shared his positive experience with the drug on “60 Minutes,” leading to a surge of requests to oncologists as the special access program begins.

Pancreatic cancer is notoriously deadly, primarily because it’s often undetectable until it spreads to other organs. The American Cancer Society projects around 67,000 new cases in the U.S. this year, with over 52,000 fatalities. The five-year survival rate stands at just 13%.

Unlike other types of cancer that have seen various chemotherapy alternatives, pancreatic cancer options have been limited.

Experts who were not part of this new research expressed hope that this could signal a pivotal moment in the search for innovative treatments, with numerous experimental drugs currently in development.

This new drug focuses on mutations in the RAS gene family that typically regulate cell growth. KRAS mutations, in particular, play a critical role in the progression of pancreatic cancer. Historically, their structural characteristics made them difficult targets for drugs, leading to the perception that they were “undruggable.”

Revolution Medicines’ drug employs a kind of molecular adhesive to attach to multiple KRAS variants. Wainberg noted that further research will investigate whether the drug is more effective in certain subtypes.

Dr. Andrew Coveler from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, who also wasn’t involved in the research, believes that this drug could genuinely transform pancreatic cancer treatment. “This works in a drastically different way,” he explained.

Looking ahead, Wainberg mentioned that other drugs targeting specific KRAS variants are also in the pipeline, along with early-stage developments like vaccines designed to help prevent cancer recurrence after surgery by training the immune system to identify the mutated protein.