Cancer causes nearly one in six deaths worldwide each year – around 10 million in total. But this stark figure masks wide variation in survival rates. In rich countries, five-year survival for melanoma and prostate cancer now exceeds 90%, while for pancreatic cancer in the UK, only one in 20 patients survive that long.
A new drug for pancreatic cancer, daraxonrasib, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, has doubled survival time in a 500-person trial with fewer side effects than chemotherapy. The pill works by blocking the Kras protein that drives cancer cell growth. One veteran researcher said she cried reading the results.
Cancer is not a single disease but more than 200 types, each with distinct biology. Even breast cancer has dozens of molecular subtypes. This means a universal cure is unlikely; progress comes through advances in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for specific cancers.
Other promising developments include a vaccine (amivantamab) for head and neck cancer, which shrank tumours in over a third of patients in a 102-person trial. Both therapies are now being tested for other cancers. Precision medicine is also improving: a new DNA test can identify which breast cancer patients will benefit from certain chemotherapy drugs, sparing others unnecessary side effects.
Yet challenges remain. Every day, 100,000 people are diagnosed with cancer globally, and a shortage of healthcare workers looms. Research estimates a shortfall of 100 million cancer care workers by 2050, including 65 million nurses and 16 million diagnostic staff. The NHS faces similar pressures, with too few lab technicians, specialists, and support staff.
