Experimental pancreatic cancer pill nearly doubles survival
A novel drug called daraxonrasib helped advanced pancreatic cancer patients live longer in a major clinical trial, offering new hope for one of the deadliest cancers.
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A new pill is showing real promise against advanced pancreatic cancer — nearly doubling survival time in patients whose tumors had stopped responding to chemotherapy.
The drug, daraxonrasib, blocks a mutated protein that fuels tumor growth in more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cases. In a study of 500 patients, those taking the daily pills lived a median of 13.2 months compared to 6.7 months for those on chemotherapy. Patients also reported less pain and better quality of life while tumors shrank.
"While not curing the cancer, it is a very large step forward," said Dr. Zev Wainberg of UCLA, who helped lead the research. The findings were published Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago.
Dr. Rachna Shroff of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, who wasn't involved in the research, said she "actually started crying" when first seeing the results. She noted that patients stayed on the treatment because it was providing "durable and meaningful benefit."
The most common side effects were a rash that can be severe and mouth sores. The Food and Drug Administration is expediting review of the drug and allowing "expanded access" for patients meeting certain criteria. Maker Revolution Medicines funded the study.
Pancreatic cancer remains among the deadliest forms in large part because it's hard to detect before it spreads to other organs. The American Cancer Society estimates about 67,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year.