A daily pill has been shown to double survival time in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, according to results from a clinical trial presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago. Experts have hailed the drug, daraxonrasib, as a 'gamechanger' and one of the biggest breakthroughs in decades for the world's deadliest cancer.
The trial involved 500 patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Those who took daraxonrasib lived an average of 13.2 months, compared to 6.6 to 6.7 months for those receiving chemotherapy. The drug also had fewer side effects. Dr Rachna Shroff, chief of oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, described the results as 'landscape-changing' and said she wept when she first read them.
Daraxonrasib works by targeting the Kras protein, which fuels nearly all pancreatic cancers. It is a Ras(On) multi-selective inhibitor that can shut down the Kras protein regardless of the specific mutation. More than 90% of patients with the most common form of pancreatic cancer have a Kras mutation. Dr Julie Gralow, ASCO's chief medical officer, called the drug a 'grand slam'.
UK charities have welcomed the findings. Paula Hanford, chief executive of Pancreatic Cancer Action, said it was one of the most significant treatment developments she had ever seen. Anna Jewell of Pancreatic Cancer UK stressed the importance of ensuring such drugs are made available to patients, noting that half of all pancreatic cancer patients die within three months of diagnosis.
