UCLA-led study discovers breakthrough in pancreatic cancer treatment

A breakthrough in pancreatic cancer treatment is bringing hope to cancer patients as a UCLA-led study found an investigational drug nearly doubled survival for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Tycie Smith started taking a once-daily daraxonrasib pill one year ago, and she's seeing success. 

"This is life-changing," she said, as her latest update shows the tumor and disease are stable, with no further spread.

"What I like about the pill versus chemo, it just feels like I can just take the pill and get on with my everyday life. I'm not feeling fatigued or tired," Smith said.

Dr. Zev Wainberg, Oncologist with UCLA Health, says the treatment stems from a new international study co-led by UCLA.  

"This is one of the most important, if not the most important clinical ever done in pancreatic cancer," the doctor said.

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers, with few effective treatment options once the disease spreads. Researchers are saying this new approach is different.

Rather than attacking all rapidly growing cells, as chemotherapy does, the drug targets a key cancer-driving pathway known as KRAS, which is involved in more than 90% of pancreatic tumors.

"It is not chemo, it is not immunotherapy, it is a targeted therapy that blocks this gene that is critical in this pancreatic cancer function," Wainberg said.

In the study, patients taking the drug lived longer compared to those undergoing chemotherapy. "This study showed that they doubled that. They went from 6.5 to like 13 months on average," he said.

For patients, this translates to more time with family, more milestones and more opportunities to make memories.

Hopefully, I do beat it. Hopefully I live a long life, but in the meantime, I'm just living every day as I can," Smith said.

The hope is that the FDA reviews the study's successful results and ultimately gives the new treatment full approval.