New Pancreatic Cancer Drug Doubles Survival Time, ASCO Reports
A new drug for pancreatic cancer, daraxonrasib, doubled survival time in a 500-person trial with fewer side effects than chemotherapy, according to findings announced at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago. The drug, taken as a pill once a day, works by shutting down a protein called Kras that causes cancer cells to grow. Separately, a new vaccine for head and neck cancer, amivantamab, shrank tumors in more than a third of patients in a 102-person trial by activating the immune system and blocking two growth proteins. These advances come as cancer causes nearly one in six deaths worldwide each year, about 10 million total. However, the article also reports that 100,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each day globally, and new research estimates a shortfall of 100 million cancer care workers by 2050. Additionally, cancer rates in people under 50 are rising, with a 22% increase in the 25-29 age group in industrialized countries between 1990 and 2019. The article notes that while progress is being made for many cancer types, challenges remain in early diagnosis, staff availability, and treatment delays.
What’s reported
Cancer causes nearly one in six deaths worldwide each year, approximately 10 million total.
Five-year survival rates for melanoma and prostate cancer are over 90% in most rich countries.
In the UK, just over one in 20 people with pancreatic cancer survive five years after diagnosis.
Daraxonrasib doubled survival time in a 500-person trial for pancreatic cancer, with fewer side effects than chemotherapy.
Amivantamab, a vaccine for head and neck cancer, shrank tumors in more than a third of patients in a 102-person trial.
100,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each day globally.
New research estimates a global shortfall of 100 million cancer care workers by 2050, including 65 million in nursing and 16 million in diagnostics.
One in three cancer cases are undiagnosed worldwide; about 50% of cancers in the UK are diagnosed at a late stage.
In England, only 69% of patients started treatment within 62 days of urgent referral; comparable figures are 71% for Scotland, 61% for Wales, and 33% for Northern Ireland.
Every four-week delay in treatment reduces patient survival by about 10%.
Cancer rates increased by 22% in the 25-29 age group in industrialized countries between 1990 and 2019.
Open questions
The article does not provide a single explanation for the rise in cancer among people under 50, saying evidence suggests multiple factors but no definitive cause.
It is not specified whether daraxonrasib or amivantamab have been approved for general use.
Misconceptions
The article addresses the misconception that cancer is a single disease, stating there are more than 200 different cancer types with distinct mechanisms, and that a singular “cure” is unlikely.
Key figures
Prof Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh and author of the article.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), whose annual meeting in Chicago announced the findings.
No other specific individuals are named in the source article.
Sources: The Guardian
