We live in an age of wonders made possible by a combination of free markets and scientific advancement. This weekend a large group of oncologists, doctors who specialize in the treatment of cancer, met to show off their latest breakthroughs at a conference called ASCO26. The news from this conference is so good that it brought standing ovations from the assembled doctors.
The big breakthrough that everyone is excited about involves pancreatic cancer which has long been a death sentence for many people. For instance, cartoonist Scott Adams died from metastatic prostrate cancer earlier this year. But a new drug called daraxonrasib seems to dramatically extend the life of those treated with it. The NY Times wrote about it last month.
A drug nearing regulatory approval, daraxonrasib, is the first to substantially extend the lives of patients with pancreatic cancer. It works by targeting a cellular protein that fuels not just nearly all pancreatic tumors, but also many lung and colon cancers. Those three are the leading causes of cancer deaths.
Now, some scientists predict that the approach could wind up being the most significant advance in cancer treatment in 15 years, since the arrival of immunotherapy…
The drug that opened the floodgates, daraxonrasib, has been fast-tracked for review by the Food and Drug Administration and could win approval later this year. Until then, the agency has signed off on a plan by Revolution Medicines, the small Silicon Valley company developing the drug, to offer early access to some patients.
The pills, three taken daily, are not a cure — eventually, daraxonrasib stops working. Many patients do not respond. And it has side effects that can be harsh, including rash, diarrhea, fatigue, nausea and raw, split fingertips.
Until now, however, patients with pancreatic cancer have typically been offered grueling chemotherapy that does little to extend their lives.
A writer for STAT, a news site that covers biotech, posted the graph of survival rates that was presented this weekend.
People who don’t follow cancer research often ask me why we haven’t cured cancer. That perception masks a wonderful reality: We make amazing, stepwise progress every year, and the result is that many people live much longer today than they would have previously.
Right now we’re… pic.twitter.com/COdYnVRmLq
— Matthew Herper (@matthewherper) May 31, 2026
When they put that chart up on the screen in front of other oncologists it got a standing ovation.
This is not simply a new pancreatic cancer drug.
It is a reminder that even “undruggable” biology can become treatable with persistence.
Daraxonrasib doubled median OS vs chemotherapy in RAS G12 metastatic pancreatic cancer: 13.2 vs 6.6 months.
A remarkable ASCO moment.#ASCO26… pic.twitter.com/2IFbuwIALJ— Yüksel Ürün (@DrYukselUrun) May 31, 2026
Again, it’s not a cure, but a cancer that was considered unbeatable has been shown to have a weakness. The drug works by turning off the gene that causes the disease to run rampant.
The KRAS gene helps cells regulate growth. It directs cells to make proteins that share its name — KRAS proteins — that are switched on when a cell needs to replicate.
Most of the time the protein is in the “off” position. The cancer-causing gene mutations, however, leave KRAS proteins stuck in the “on” state…
Revolution’s chemists took a bold approach to designing a compound, surprising company leaders. Their drug hit KRAS proteins when they were in the “on” state both in healthy and cancerous cells, switching the “on” state to “off.”
That may be the biggest news out of this conference but it’s far from the only development. There is also some progress with lung cancer treatment.
The result, oncologists say, exceeded their expectations, and it appears it could generate optimism for the drug, which is being developed outside China by Summit Therapeutics. But the data also are likely to fuel debate on issues like the role of China in drug development and…
— Matthew Herper (@matthewherper) May 31, 2026
And a new treatment for prostate cancer.
But wait! There’s more!
Researchers also tested a new $JNJ drug in prostate cancer. It prevented cancer from recurring after surgery compared to another drug regimen. Here is that slide. pic.twitter.com/KLOL9jlHvd
— Matthew Herper (@matthewherper) May 31, 2026
And more:
And an Eli Lilly drug, Retevmo, delivered this stunning result in a genetically distinct form of non-small cell lung cancer. $LLY pic.twitter.com/KzhSzHlSTe
— Matthew Herper (@matthewherper) May 31, 2026
All of these developments are good news for future patients diagnosed with these cancers and could lead to additional breakthroughs as other companies race to find similar drugs they can bring to market. None of this happens overnight of course but with advances in AI we can expect it to happen much more frequently in the coming years. In ten years time, the cumulative change in treatments and survival rates could be pretty dramatic compared to where we are now.
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