In an important advance in oncology, researchers from the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) have confirmed the elimination of pancreatic tumors in mice.
The scientists used a novel three-drug therapy.
The study, published in the journal PNAS, describes how targeting three points in the KRAS oncogene pathway at the same time helps achieve durable tumor regression and prevent recurrence in animal models.
The KRAS oncogene pathway drives this aggressive cancer.
The five-year survival rate for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is less than 10%. One of the main reasons for a lower survival rate is due to rapid resistance to treatments.
The CNIO team combined an experimental KRAS inhibitor with an existing lung cancer drug and a protein degrader.
By doing this, they were able to avoid the resistance that usually develops when only one pathway is blocked, causing the tumors to shrink without any side effects in the mice.
Although they praised the results for providing a clear direction for future clinical trials, the authors urged caution.
They noted 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 fundamental advance in the face of one of oncology’s most formidable challenges.
