Researchers: An Experimental Drug for Treating Pancreatic Cancer from 'Revolution' Increases Survival Rate

SadaNews - Researchers have claimed that an experimental drug produced by Revolution Medicines for treating pancreatic cancer has increased the survival rate compared to chemotherapy by double, and alleviated symptoms significantly enough that some patients were able to resume activities they had stopped, setting a new standard for this deadly type of cancer tumors.

The trial tested the effect of taking one pill of the experimental drug daily compared to conventional chemotherapy on patients who had not seen positive results after one round of chemotherapy.

The complete results of the trial conducted on 500 patients showed that the drug (Darasetarib) reduced the overall risk of death from this tumor by 60% compared to patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who received chemotherapy.

According to the study results presented today, Sunday, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the treatment led to stopping or reducing tumor progression by nearly one-third on average, compared to only 10% in those who received chemotherapy.

Dr. Rachna Shroff, a pancreatic cancer expert at the University of Arizona Cancer Center and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, described the new experimental drug as "meeting all the criteria," noting that improvements such as doubling the survival rate and reducing the risk of death in patients whose cancerous tumors had worsened after chemotherapy represent an unprecedented breakthrough.

Preliminary results released on April 13 indicated that the drug increased the interval between diagnosis and patient death to 13.2 months compared to 6.7 months for those receiving conventional chemotherapy, leading to a 40% rise in the company's shares.

Dr. Brian Wolpin from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard University and the principal investigator of the trial said, "These results will change the way scientists, doctors, and patients think about treating pancreatic cancer."

Skin rash was one of the main concerns related to the side effects of the drug, as 86.3% of patients who took it experienced it; however, Wolpin stated that it can be largely managed with antibiotics and topical steroids.

Expanding the Benefit

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest types of tumors. The American Cancer Society estimates that this year will see about 68,000 Americans diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, expecting it to cause around 53,000 deaths among them.

Typically, the percentage of patients surviving five years after their cancer has spread from the pancreas to other body organs does not exceed 3%, with about 80% of patients diagnosed at an advanced stage or when the disease begins to spread.

Mark Goldsmith, the CEO of Revolution Medicines, stated that the company is already testing Darasetarib in earlier stages of the disease with other treatments in the hope of increasing its effectiveness in achieving a "significant increase" in the survival rate.

Dr. Shubham Pant, a co-principal investigator in the trial at MD Anderson, mentioned that one of his patients, an enthusiastic golfer, had to give up the sport but was able to reduce his reliance on painkillers to manage symptoms and resume playing golf a month after receiving the new treatment, stating, "I have many patients in the same situation."