Daraxonrasib-Pancreatic Cancer Pill

How New Pancreatic Cancer Pill Doubles Survival Rate-INDIAN EXPRESS

A new experimental oral drug, daraxonrasib, has shown promising results in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

What is Pancreatic Cancer?

• Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive cancer that develops when malignant cells form in the tissues of the pancreas.
• The pancreas produces: Digestive enzymes and Blood sugar-regulating hormones, such as insulin
• It is considered one of the deadliest cancers because it is often diagnosed late and is difficult to treat effectively.

Why is Pancreatic Cancer Difficult to Detect Early?

Pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect early because its symptoms usually appear only after the tumour becomes large or spreads to nearby organs. Early signs are often vague or absent. Common symptoms may include jaundice, pain, nausea, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss and new-onset diabetes. Due to this late appearance of symptoms, many patients are diagnosed only at an advanced stage.

Why is it Difficult to Treat Compared to Other Cancers?

• Around 70–90% of patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, making treatment difficult.
• Unlike some other cancers, pancreatic cancer has not shown major survival improvement with targeted therapy or immunotherapy.
• The tumour is surrounded by a dense tissue layer called stroma, which limits the ability of medicines to reach cancer cells.
• This makes pancreatic cancer resistant to many available treatment approaches.
• For nearly three decades, survival improvement has remained limited and slow.

Survival Rate

• The overall five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is approximately 13%.
• In the late 1990s, average survival for advanced pancreatic cancer was around six months.
• With active research and improved treatment, survival has improved to around 9–12 months, but the disease still remains highly fatal.

Role of KRAS Gene in Pancreatic Cancer

• KRAS is a protein present in almost all cell types of the human body.
• It is encoded by a gene called RAS.
• Mutations in the KRAS gene are seen in around 90% of pancreatic cancers.
• These mutations make KRAS continuously active.
• This abnormal activation sends constant growth signals to cells.
• As a result, cells become uncontrolled and cancerous.
• In simple terms, mutated KRAS acts like a jammed “ON switch” that keeps pushing cancer growth.

How Does Daraxonrasib Work?

• Daraxonrasib is a once-daily oral drug.
• It targets the RAS pathway, which is commonly active in pancreatic cancer.
• Unlike earlier drugs that focused only on one mutation, daraxonrasib has shown activity across different RAS mutations.
• It blocks cancer-promoting signals that allow tumour cells to grow and survive.
• It is considered a promising first drug of its class for pancreatic cancer.

What Makes Daraxonrasib Important?

• It is the first drug of its category to show successful inhibition of RAS activity.
• It has shown benefit regardless of whether the RAS mutation is mutated or not.
• This makes it an important development in cancer treatment.
• The drug has raised hope for a new class of targeted therapies in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest cancers to detect and treat, but the new oral drug daraxonrasib offers hope by targeting the KRAS/RAS pathway, which drives cancer growth. Though not yet available in India, its trial results indicate a future shift towards more precise, targeted and personalised cancer treatment.