Experimental Drug Shows Promise Against Pancreatic Cancer
A new experimental drug has shown significant results in treating advanced pancreatic cancer, a disease long considered among the most difficult cancers to manage.
The drug, daraxonrasib, was tested in a Phase 3 clinical trial involving 500 patients whose cancer had progressed after one previous round of standard treatment. According to results published in the New England Journal of Medicine, patients who received the once-daily pill lived a median of about 13 months, compared with less than seven months for those treated with chemotherapy. The drug also stopped or reversed tumour progression in nearly one-third of patients, versus about 10 per cent in the chemotherapy group.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, where several cancer specialists described the results as unusually strong for pancreatic cancer. Canadian oncologists noted that while the treatment is not a cure and remains a second-line option, the survival improvement is notable in a cancer with limited treatment advances.
Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed late because early symptoms are limited or vague. Its five-year survival rate is about 13 per cent, and more than 7,000 Canadians are diagnosed with the disease each year.
Daraxonrasib targets mutations in the KRAS gene, which are present in more than 90 per cent of pancreatic cancers. These mutations drive abnormal cell growth and have historically been difficult to treat. The drug is part of a broader class known as RAS(ON) inhibitors, which may also have relevance for other cancers involving RAS mutations, including lung, colorectal and gastric cancers.
The trial also found fewer treatment discontinuations due to side effects among patients taking daraxonrasib than among those receiving chemotherapy. However, rash was a common severe side effect, affecting about 14 per cent of patients.
Daraxonrasib is not yet approved in Canada or the United States, though some U.S. patients can access it through an FDA-authorized early access program. Revolution Medicines says it is preparing regulatory submissions globally.