FDA approves breakthrough pancreatic cancer drug – an oncologist explains how daraxonrasib nearly doubles survival

Pancreatic cancer has historically had an extremely poor prognosis.

For patients diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer between 2015 and 2021, about 97% died within five years of their diagnosis.

This high mortality rate is partly due to the lack of effective screening tests and the fact that the disease rarely causes noticeable symptoms in its early stages.

By the time patients experience signs such as jaundice (a yellowing of the skin) or abdominal pain, the cancer has often already spread to other organs.

This makes early detection and treatment challenging, contributing to the disease's deadly reputation.