@polly_springA promising new treatment is generating excitement in the fight against pancreatic cancer in its advanced stage. Pancreatic cancer claims more than 50,000 lives in the United States each year. For patients with metastatic disease, where the cancer has spread, treatment options have historically been limited, and survival rates remain low. At the world’s largest cancer conference, researchers presented results from a Phase 3 clinical trial of an experimental once-daily pill called daraxonrasib. The findings were met with an unusually enthusiastic response from the audience, reflecting the significance of the results. The study included 500 people with metastatic pancreatic cancer whose disease had previously been treated. Patients who received daraxonrasib lived a median of 13.2 months, compared with 6.7 months for those given standard chemotherapy. Researchers also reported a 60% reduction in the risk of death and a substantial improvement in the length of time patients lived before their cancer progressed. The treatment appeared to be better tolerated than chemotherapy. Only 1.2% of patients stopped taking daraxonrasib because of side effects, compared with more than 11% of patients receiving chemotherapy. Daraxonrasib works by targeting KRAS-driven cancer signalling. Mutations affecting KRAS are found in more than 90% of pancreatic cancers, yet for decades scientists struggled to develop medicines capable of effectively blocking this pathway, leading many to label it “undruggable.” While the drug has not yet received full regulatory approval, health authorities are reviewing it through an accelerated process. Researchers are also investigating its potential in other KRAS-driven cancers, including certain lung and colorectal cancers. If approved, daraxonrasib could represent one of the most significant advances in pancreatic cancer treatment seen in many years. Credit: New England Journal of Medicine

@polly_springA promising new treatment is generating excitement in the fight against pancreatic cancer in its advanced stage. Pancreatic cancer claims more than 50,000 lives in the United States each year. For patients with metastatic disease, where the cancer has spread, treatment options have historically been limited, and survival rates remain low. At the world’s largest cancer conference, researchers presented results from a Phase 3 clinical trial of an experimental once-daily pill called daraxonrasib. The findings were met with an unusually enthusiastic response from the audience, reflecting the significance of the results. The study included 500 people with metastatic pancreatic cancer whose disease had previously been treated. Patients who received daraxonrasib lived a median of 13.2 months, compared with 6.7 months for those given standard chemotherapy. Researchers also reported a 60% reduction in the risk of death and a substantial improvement in the length of time patients lived before their cancer progressed. The treatment appeared to be better tolerated than chemotherapy. Only 1.2% of patients stopped taking daraxonrasib because of side effects, compared with more than 11% of patients receiving chemotherapy. Daraxonrasib works by targeting KRAS-driven cancer signalling. Mutations affecting KRAS are found in more than 90% of pancreatic cancers, yet for decades scientists struggled to develop medicines capable of effectively blocking this pathway, leading many to label it “undruggable.” While the drug has not yet received full regulatory approval, health authorities are reviewing it through an accelerated process. Researchers are also investigating its potential in other KRAS-driven cancers, including certain lung and colorectal cancers. If approved, daraxonrasib could represent one of the most significant advances in pancreatic cancer treatment seen in many years. Credit: New England Journal of Medicine