Breakthrough in fight against world's deadliest cancer - new drug shrunk up to 70% of pancreatic tumors in lab study

An experimental drug for aggressive, deadly pancreatic cancer effectively shrunk nearly all tumors tested, a new lab study found.

The researchers testing the novel treatment declared it the most effective studied thus far - shrinking tumors in peti dishes by between 30 and 98 percent.

Pancreatic cancer affects roughly 67,000 Americans every year, and kills about 52,000 of them.

It is typically rapidly progressive, and considered one of the most sinister forms of the disease that has taken the lives of high profile patients such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Patrick Swayze, Alan Rickman and Steve Jobs.

Currently, treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs which aim to cure the disease are often unsuccesful, as it is usually diagnosed at late stages.

Harry Potter star Alan Rickman died at 69 of pancreatic cancer in 2016. His battle against the aggressive cancer was brief

Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs battled pancreatic cancer for a decade, but he made no public statements about his illness and was determined to remain at work for as long as he could

The latest experimental drug successfully interfered with genetic drivers of roughly 95 percent of the most common form of pancreatic cancers - pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas.

A gene called KRAS plays a crucial role in cell division, proliferation, and death. 

When the gene is mutated, it stimulates the uncontrollable growth of cells, a hallmark of cancer.

Dr Kenneth Olive, a physician at Columbia University who led the research at his lab, said: ‘For over four decades, we have known that there’s one particular RAS protein, called KRAS, that’s mutated and drives about 95 percent of all pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cases, and we’ve had no direct tools to attack it for most of that time.’

The mutated gene helps transform normal pancreatic cells into cancerous cells, which promotes the growth of treatment-resistant tumors that respond poorly to chemotherapy.

The researchers tested the drug on cancer cells derived from humans and found that tumor shrinkage was seen in seven out of 10 models, with the extent of shrinkage ranging from 30 percent to 98 percent relative to the tumors' baseline volume.

Dirty Dancing actor Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in early 2008 and died less than two years later

Pancreatic cancer is among the most deadly types, and kills roughly 90 percent of its victims, and has a survival rate after five years of around two percent or less

Dr Olive said: ‘RMC-7977 [name of the new drug] as a single agent outperformed the best combination regimen that has ever been reported in the literature in that model system,’ adding that it was the first time he had seen tumors routinely get small across all models.

They also found that the treatment did not harm other, healthy cells. Many cancer treatments, including chemo and radiation, can harm healthy cells while targeting cancer cells.

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Pancreatic cancer typically does not show symptoms until the disease has reached an advanced stage.

Dr Olive added: 'I’ve been working on pancreatic cancer for almost 20 years, and I’ve never seen preclinical results like these. 

'I think there is a real chance this approach will help change the standard of care for pancreatic cancer patients, but only clinical trials can determine that 

It can lead to decreased appetite, stomach pain that radiates to the sides and back, weight loss, yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice), dark-colored urine, itching, uncontrolled diabetes, pain and swelling in the arms or legs, and fatigue or weakness.

A 2022 survey by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network found that 83 per cent of adults are unaware of the signs of the disease.

Smoking and type 2 diabetes are major risk factors. Others include a family history of certain DNA mutations that drive the cancer, obesity, old age, and drinking a lot of alcohol.

There has been a concerning rise in the number of new pancreatic cancer cases striking younger women.

Surprisingly, women under 55 had a 2.4 percent higher increase in pancreatic cancer rates compared to men of the same age, according to recent analyses.

Dr Srinivas Gaddam, the doctor at Cedars-Sinai who made that discovery, said: ‘And while we’re reporting improving survival in pancreatic cancer each year, that improvement is largely among men.

‘The mortality rate among women is not improving.’

Pancreatic cancer made headlines in 2011 when Apple head Steve Jobs succumbed to it after a years-long battle that he spoke little about publicly.

Actor Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series, died after a short battle against the disease, while Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought the disease for 11 years before passing away in 2020 at age 87.

The latest findings from the consortium of doctors were published in the journal Nature.