'Game-changer': Daily pancreatic cancer pill could nearly doubles survival time, study finds

Medical experts have found in a clinical trial that a smart drug called daraxonrasib can double survival time in patients with pancreatic cancer, the deadliest cancer in the world. They noted that it is a “game-changer” and one of the biggest breakthroughs in decades, which can pave the way for a treatment revolution.

A clinical trial involving 500 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer that had already spread found that an experimental pill doubled survival time while causing fewer side effects compared with chemotherapy. The results were unveiled at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago.

According to the study, patients who received the new drug survived for an average of 13.2 months, nearly twice as long as those treated with chemotherapy, whose average survival ranged between 6.6 and 6.7 months. “These results are landscape-changing,” said Dr Rachna Shroff, the chief of oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center and an ASCO expert in gastrointestinal cancers, who was not part of the study. “We are seeing unprecedented survival.”

Reflecting on the findings, Shroff said she became emotional when she first reviewed the results of the trial, which was conducted by researchers at the renowned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Having spent 16 years treating pancreatic cancer patients, she said the breakthrough moved her to tears, describing the study as exceptionally meaningful and praising the investigators for their work.

Dr Julie Gralow, ASCO’s chief medical officer and executive vice-president, who was also not part of the clinical trial, stated that it was a “game-changer”. She added, “I’ve heard this study described as a home run. I would actually say it’s a grand slam.”

Also read: Florida mosquito district first to use drone to release sterile mosquitoes against invasive pests

How does Daraxonrasib act against cancer?

Daraxonrasib targets KRAS, a protein that drives the growth of almost all pancreatic cancers. The drug works by binding molecules together to latch onto and deactivate KRAS. This protein belongs to the RAS gene family, which can cause cancer cells to continuously receive signals to grow and multiply, even when they should stop, allowing tumours to develop and spread.

More than 90 per cent of patients with the most common type of pancreatic cancer, metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC), carry a mutation in the KRAS gene known as a RAS G12 variant. This mutation results in an overactive KRAS protein that fuels cancer progression.

Daraxonrasib is a next-generation RAS(On) multi-selective inhibitor. Unlike earlier treatments that target only specific KRAS mutations, it can switch off the KRAS protein across multiple variants, and even in cases where no specific KRAS variant is present, helping to halt cancer growth.

“The idea of targeting Kras has always been the holy grail in most malignancies, but specifically in pancreas cancer, because it is nearly ubiquitous and it is an early driver of pancreas cancer growth,” said Shroff. “The Ras revolution is here, and this study is proof of principle that targeting Kras in pancreatic cancer is feasible and effective.”

Paula Hanford, the chief executive of UK-based Pancreatic Cancer Action, stated that the finding was one of the most significant developments in treatment that has ever been witnessed. “For far too long, people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have had incredibly limited treatment options and survival rates that have remained devastatingly low. To see a trial showing the potential to nearly double survival time in advanced pancreatic cancer is hugely encouraging and gives real hope to patients and families facing this disease.”