Oncologists surprised: the major advance made in pancreatic cancer research

Hospital Clínic Barcelona has conducted a Phase III clinical trial demonstrating the remarkable effectiveness of daraxonrasib. The treatment was found to double overall survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common form of pancreatic cancer.

In other words, it cuts the mortality rate in half during the disease’s most advanced stage. The study found that patients treated with the drug achieved a median overall survival of 13.2 months, compared with 6.7 months for those receiving conventional chemotherapy.

Study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting

The findings were presented this weekend in Chicago during the plenary session of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The drug represents an unprecedented advance because it targets the mutated KRAS gene, which is present in more than 90% of pancreatic tumors.

According to Teresa Macarulla, Head of Medical Oncology at Hospital Clínic Barcelona, results this promising have not seen with a study in many years. “This is only the first step of what is to come. The era of KRAS inhibitors is going to transform the treatment landscape for pancreatic cancer.”

The drug is already being administered in the United States, although it has not yet been approved in Europe, where regulatory processes tend to move more slowly.

The goal of daraxonrasib

The study was published on May 31 in the prestigious medical journal The New England Journal of Medicine. According to the publication, daraxonrasib is an oral medication that blocks mutated variants of the RAS family of genes and interrupts the signaling pathways that drive tumor growth.

Macarulla also noted that KRAS mutations are found in other cancers, including colorectal and lung cancers, although at lower rates. As a result, researchers may eventually explore the role of this inhibitor in treating those tumors as well.

When could it be approved in Spain?

According to the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), the incidence of pancreatic cancer has been increasing in recent years. The organization estimates that Spain will record 10,338 new cases of pancreatic cancer in 2025. This corresponds to an incidence rate of 19 cases per 100,000 people annually, including 16.4 cases per 100,000 women and 21.7 cases per 100,000 men.

As for regulatory approval, Macarulla estimates that the drug could become available in Spain within approximately 18 to 24 months.

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