Finding Hope In a Clinical Trial
- A clinical trial using the targeted therapy daraxonrasib gave Virginia patient Brad Dugai, 55, dramatic improvement, shrinking his pancreatic tumor until it was no longer visible on CT scans after other treatments failed.
- Trial results published in the New England Journal of Medicine show daraxonrasib doubled overall survival compared to chemotherapy—13.2 months vs. 6.6 months—compared to 6.6 months with chemotherapy, marking a major advance for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.
- “Anything that we can bring to patients with pancreatic cancer that can change survival is amazing,” Dr. Diane Simeone, director of the Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, tells SurvivorNet. “We just made a major advance, and there’s a lot more to come.”
- Pancreatic cancer has long been considered one of the hardest cancers to detect and treat, driven by subtle symptoms hard to detect until it reaches a late stage, combined with a dense stromal barrier that limits drug effectiveness, though early detection dramatically improves outcomes.
- Daraxonrasib works by targeting common KRAS gene mutations that drive most pancreatic cancers, helping slow or shrink tumors in some patients. The drug is not yet approved, but it’s being tested in ongoing trials.
“My scans since then have just shown progressive shrinking in my tumor to the point where they’re not even visible on CT,” Brad Dugai, 55, told WVEC after starting the new treatment.
WATCH: Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Patients
His doctor then recommended daraxonrasib, a targeted therapy that’s making a huge difference in pancreatic cancer care.
Research presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting showed the drug could double survival for certain patients.
“With this new therapy, we now can double the length of their lives,” said Dr. Diane Simeone of UC San Diego Health, noting it represents a major step forward in RAS‑targeted treatments.
Dugai endured harsh side effects from earlier treatments, which included weight loss, hair loss, and a wiped-out sense of taste, and still, his cancer returned last year. That’s why he wasted no time joining the clinical trial that utilized daraxonrasib.
Now, with his tumor barely detectable, he describes a renewed sense of normalcy: “Often, days, I don’t even feel like I’ve got cancer.”
Results published in the New England Journal of Medicine show patients taking daraxonrasib lived twice as long as those on chemotherapy alone—13.2 months versus 6.6 months—a 60% reduction in the risk of death. For a disease where second‑line chemotherapy typically offers only about six months of survival, the improvement is significant.
Resources Helping Pancreatic Cancer Patients
- New Targeted Drug Could Double Survival For Some With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: What To Know About Daraxonrasib
- For Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Patients Running Out of Treatments, a New Pathway Offers Renewed Hope Thanks to the FDA Granting ‘Compassionate Use’ Access to Daraxonrasib
- ‘A Watershed Moment’: Revolution Medicines Chief Development Officer Dr. Alan Sandler On The Breakthrough Giving New Hope in Pancreatic Cancer
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 of 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.”
WATCH: What is a PARP Inhibitor?
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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