Cancer is a deadly disease. When the cells in our body grow uncontrollably, it takes the form of a tumor. Later, this tumor becomes the cause of cancer. Doctors say that if cancer is recognized at the right time, its treatment is possible. There are different types of cancer. The most deadly among cancers is pancreatic cancer. It cannot be detected in the early stages. When the disease is detected, treatment is not effective. But a new pill developed by researchers could completely change the way doctors currently treat pancreatic cancer. This new pill called ‘Daraksonarasib’ has reached the final stage of clinical trials. It is almost doubling the remaining life of pancreatic cancer patients. This medicine is working even in the increasing number of patients despite the use of chemotherapy. The results of the new drug were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. The global clinical trial of the drug involved 500 patients from across North America, Europe, and Asia. Patients receiving standard chemotherapy alone lived for an average of 6.6 months, while those given the new pill once a day lived for an average of 13.2 months. The drug also reduced the overall risk of death by 60 percent.
Daraxonarasib works by targeting a mutated KRAS protein. In more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancer cases, an altered protein (associated with the KRAS/RAS gene) drives tumor growth. Clinical trials have shown that about a third of patients treated with the pill ‘daraxonarasib’ stopped their tumors from growing. And about 32 percent of patients taking the new drug had their tumors shrink or disappear. Like chemotherapy, ‘daraxonarasib’ has side effects. The risk of death with chemo is 57.5 percent, while with ‘daraxonarasib’ the risk is 43.6 percent.
In more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancer cases, an altered protein (associated with the KRAS/RAS gene) drives tumor growth. For decades, scientists have been unable to stop this process and considered it incurable, meaning it cannot be treated with drugs.
