A new experimental drug has raised fresh hope for patients battling advanced pancreatic cancer after a major international clinical trial found it significantly improved survival rates compared to standard chemotherapy.
According to a report by TheCable, the once-daily pill, daraxonrasib, helped patients with advanced pancreatic cancer live an average of 13.2 months, compared with 6.6 months for those receiving chemotherapy.
The trial involved 500 patients across North America, Europe and Asia. Of those participants, 248 received daraxonrasib while 252 were treated with chemotherapy.
Researchers said the drug targets the KRAS gene mutation, which is present in more than 90 per cent of pancreatic cancer cases and plays a key role in tumour growth and spread. The treatment was also associated with fewer side effects than chemotherapy.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, held from May 29 to June 2.
Rachna Shroff, chief of the division of haematology and oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Centre, described the results as a major breakthrough for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer carrying a KRAS mutation.
“These results are landscape-changing for metastatic pancreatic cancer patients with a KRAS mutation,” Shroff said.
Although pancreatic cancer is relatively uncommon in Nigeria compared with many Western countries, it remains one of the deadliest cancers. Data from the Global Cancer Observatory shows the disease ranks 19th in cancer incidence in the country, with 1,283 new cases and 1,344 deaths recorded.
Health experts say pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage because symptoms can be difficult to detect early. Common signs include fatigue, unexplained weight loss, poor appetite, nausea, dark urine, itchy skin and jaundice.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology said daraxonrasib will now be submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration for evaluation and possible approval as a treatment for pancreatic cancer.
