Pancreatic Patients Have Increased Hope
- A Phoenix woman who survived pancreatic cancer for more than 30 years says new treatments like the oral drug daraxonrasib, which doubled survival in a major clinical trial, are giving patients more hope than ever.
- New Phase 3 data for the KRAS‑targeting pancreatic cancer drug daraxonrasib offer unprecedented survival gains for patients, more than doubling median overall survival for patients with KRAS‑mutated pancreatic cancer.
- The KRAS gene mutation is present in 90% of pancreatic cancer cases. Though promising, the treatment has not been approved for widespread use by the FDA at this time.
- Pancreatic cancer remains one of the hardest cancers to detect and treat, driven by subtle symptoms hard to detect until it reaches late‑stage, combined with a dense stromal barrier that limits drug effectiveness, though early detection dramatically improves outcomes.
- If you ever need extra help between appointments on your treatment journey, just ask SurvivorNet’s My Health Questions, which offers doctor-supported information to move forward.
A Phoenix woman has defied the odds, having lived more than 30 years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and she has even more hope today as new pancreatic treatments are proving to extend the lives of more patients like her.
“I had the will that I wanted to live, but I had no hope, but now pancreatic patients need to know there is hope, especially with the research we’re seeing now. It’s more hope than ever, and we need to fight,” pancreatic cancer survivor Kay Kays told KSAZ News.
Read MoreKays had to have several organs removed to get to where she is today, and it’s the present that she’s most hopeful about.
She notes the advent of daraxonrasib, the groundbreaking pancreatic treatment stemming from the RASolute 302 clinical trial, which proved that this oral drug doubled survival to 13.2 months for patients taking daraxonrasib, compared to 6.6 months with chemotherapy.
“With this new therapy, we can now double the length of their lives,” Dr. Diane Simeone, director of the Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, tells SurvivorNet.
“This is really a first-generation RAS therapeutic, but now we can build upon this — perhaps move this kind of therapy into first line, and probably most importantly, figure out what the best combinations with this therapy are that will provide even more durable responses for patients.”
It’s important to note that daraxonrasib has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as it is still in clinical trials.
The Promise of Daraxonrasib
More than 90% of pancreatic cancers carry a mutation (a kind of permanent “on switch”) in the KRAS gene. When KRAS is mutated, it sends unrelenting signals to cancer cells, telling them to grow and spread. For years, scientists considered KRAS essentially impossible to target with a drug. The protein was too smooth, too slippery; there was nowhere for a drug molecule to get a grip.
“KRAS is mutated in 92 to 93% of pancreatic cancers, but it has been felt to be undruggable,” Dr. Simeone explains. “And by astounding work by teams of investigators using very innovative approaches, we have now been able to develop new therapies that target KRAS and are having an impact.”
WATCH: Better Understanding Pancreatic Cancer
About a decade ago, chemists figured out how to design drugs that could lock onto a specific version of mutant KRAS called G12C. Two of those drugs are now approved for lung and colorectal cancers. But KRAS G12C is rare in pancreatic cancer, showing up in only about 1 to 2% of cases. So those breakthroughs largely left pancreatic cancer patients behind.
Daraxonrasib works differently. Instead of targeting just one specific mutation, it blocks the active form of RAS proteins across multiple mutations, including KRAS G12D, G12V, and G12R, which together account for the vast majority of pancreatic cancer cases. It’s taken as a daily pill.
What Side Effects Can Patients Expect from This Treatment
Like any cancer therapy, daraxonrasib is not without side effects.
The most common was rash, which affected about 86% of patients, a significant number, though most cases were mild. Diarrhea, mouth sores, nausea, and vomiting were also common. About 57% of patients on daraxonrasib had a treatment-related side effect that led to a dose modification, while 36% required a dose reduction. Grade 3 or higher treatment-related side effects occurred in about 44%.
Coping with a Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis
“Around eighty percent of pancreatic cancer patients already have advanced disease by the time they’re diagnosed, severely limiting treatment options,” explains Dr. Anirban Maitra, Co-Leader of the Pancreatic Cancer Moon Shot at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
“Just twenty percent of patients have their cancer caught early enough to make them a candidate for surgery, the only way pancreatic cancer can be cured.”
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For those with heightened risk, early testing offers a crucial window of opportunity. PubMed-published research highlights the role of genetic testing in identifying those with increased susceptibility. Individuals with a close family history of pancreatic cancer or an inherited genetic cancer syndrome fall into the high-risk category and should consult their doctors about screening options.
High-risk patients may benefit from advanced screening methods such as endoscopic ultrasound or MRI scans—tools that can detect abnormalities before symptoms arise.
According to the National Cancer Institute, pancreatic cancer risk factors fall into two broad categories: those we inherit and those we can influence. Key risk factors include:
- Family history
- Inherited genetic syndromes
- Tobacco use
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Chronic pancreatitis
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you are facing a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, you may have questions but are unsure how to get the answers you need. SurvivorNet suggests asking your doctor the following to kickstart your journey to more solid answers.
- What type of pancreatic cancer do I have?
- Has my cancer spread beyond my pancreas?
- If so, where has it spread, and what is the stage of the disease?
- What is my prognosis?
- What are my treatment options?
- What side effects should I expect after undergoing treatment?
- Will insurance cover my recommended treatment?
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