In a major development in oncology, researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) have confirmed the elimination of pancreatic tumors in mice.
The researchers used a new triple-drug therapy.
The study, published in the journal PNAS, describes how targeting three points in the KRAS oncogene pathway simultaneously helps achieve lasting tumor regression and prevents relapse in animal models.
The KRAS oncogenic pathway drives this aggressive cancer.
The five-year survival rate for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is less than 10%. One of the main reasons for reduced survival is due to rapid resistance to treatments.
The team at the CNIO combined an experimental KRAS inhibitor with an existing drug for lung cancer and a protein degrader.
By doing this, they were able to bypass the resistance that normally develops when only one pathway is blocked, causing the tumors to shrink without any side effects in the mice.
Although they praised the findings for providing a clear direction for future clinical trials, the authors urged caution.
They pointed out that translating this triple therapy to humans would be a complicated procedure and that human trials were not imminent.
If successfully developed, this strategy could mark a decisive advance in one of oncology’s most formidable challenges.
