New pill helps double survival time for people with advanced pancreatic cancer

A once-a-day pill helped to almost double survival time for patients with an aggressive and advanced form of pancreatic cancer when compared to chemotherapy, a trial has found.

The new drug, daraxonrasib, also caused fewer side effects, with experts describing it as “landscape-changing” for people with the disease.

Daraxonrasib works by locking onto the mutated KRAS gene, which is found in more than nine in 10 pancreatic tumours and signals cancer cells to grow.

By shutting this off, the drug prevents tumours from spreading, the research showed.

Pancreatic Cancer UK said new treatments targeting the gene variant are “some of the most exciting developments” in a very long time, and called for clinical trials in the UK.

The trial, which was presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Asco) annual meeting in Chicago, included 500 patients in North America, Europe, and Asia with advanced pancreatic cancer which had spread to other organs.

They had previously received treatment and were still able to carry out most of their daily activities.

Roughly 248 patients were given daraxonrasib and 252 were given chemotherapy.

Most had tumours with specific mutations of the KRAS gene.

During a follow-up period, the median survival time for patients on daraxonrasib was 13.2 months compared to 6.6 months among those on chemotherapy.

The median time spent without the disease progressing was 7.3 months in the daraxonrasib group and 7.2 months in the chemotherapy group.

Daraxonrasib also caused fewer serious side effects, according to the study. The new drug triggered severe side effects in 43.6% of patients, compared to 57.5% of patients on chemotherapy.

Just 1.2% of people in the daraxonrasib group stopped treatment because of side effects compared to 11.2% of the chemotherapy group.

Rachna Shroff, chief of the division of haematology/oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Centre and an Asco expert in gastrointestinal cancers, said the drug was showing “unprecedented survival and efficacy in second-line treatment with an expected safety profile”.

“The RAS revolution is here, and this study is proof of principle that targeting KRAS in pancreatic cancer is feasible and effective.”

Reacting to the findings, Anna Jewell, director of services, research and innovation at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said: “These new treatments targeting KRAS mutations are some of the most exciting developments we have seen in pancreatic cancer for a very long time.

“KRAS mutations are found in over 90% of all pancreatic tumours and are responsible for driving the rapid growth of this devastating disease.

“Crucially, these results suggest that daraxonrasib is able to keep the cancer under control for longer.”

There are around 11,500 cases of pancreatic cancer diagnosed in the UK each year and around 10,200 deaths.

Ms Jewell said: “Tragically, half of all people with pancreatic cancer die within just three months of their diagnosis.

“More time with those we love most is truly priceless. We must do everything possible to ensure the most promising new treatments are available here in the UK.”