Two potential pancreatic cancer treatments are gaining recognition within the oncology community, according to reports from The New York Times and The Washington Post published April 21 and April 22, respectively.
One treatment is a pill called darxonrasib. Developed by Revolution Medicines, the pill inhibits the KRAS protein, which signals cancer cell growth, and was shown to nearly double the median survival rate in a phase 3 clinical trial. When combined with chemotherapy, the pill extended participants’ median survival from 6.7 months to 13.2 months, the Post reported.
The most notable side effect of the drug was a skin rash and the FDA has designated a fast-track review for approval of the pill, both reports said.
Another possible breakthrough for pancreatic cancer treatment is an mRNA vaccine from BioNTech and Genentech. While the vaccine has been tested in only 16 people, the early phase study results were strong enough to launch a phase 2 clinical trial. According to researchers, “seven of eight patients whose immune systems responded to the treatment were alive up to six years after receiving the last treatment, compared with just two of out eight of those whose immune systems did not respond,” the Times report said.
Findings of both treatments were presented April 17-22 at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting in San Diego.
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