New Pancreatic Cancer Drug Doubles Survival Time in Trial
A daily pill extended median survival from 6.5 to 13.5 months for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer in a 500-person study. Separate early trials showed a smart drug shrank tumors in six common cancers, and observational data linked GLP-1 weight-loss drugs to lower cancer risk.
The IndependentA new daily pill doubled median survival time for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer in a 500-person trial, according to data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago last week. The drug blocks a signal that tells cancer cells to reproduce.
Patients who received the pill lived a median 13.5 months compared with 6.5 months for those on standard chemotherapy, the Guardian reported. Andrew Gregory, the Guardian’s health editor, said the result is not a cure but represents a step change for a cancer that has long lacked effective treatments.
A separate early trial tested a smart drug designed to remove proteins that let tumor cells evade immunotherapy. In 83 patients whose cancers had not responded to prior treatment, the combination shrank tumors by at least 30 percent in six common cancer types. Researchers said larger studies are needed to confirm the findings.
Observational studies presented at the same meeting found associations between GLP-1 weight-loss medications and reduced cancer incidence and mortality. One analysis showed a 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer among users; another linked the drugs to up to a 50 percent reduction in cancer spread. The studies do not establish causation, Gregory said.
