Connect
New study - 100% success, zero recurrence, and low toxicity
I know it is not a human trial, but 100% success, zero recurrence, and low toxicity are just not findings that happen everyday, in any cancer treatment let alone pancreatic. This is huge news imho.
https://www.livescience.com/health/cancer/new-triple-drug-treatment-stops-pancreatic-cancer-in-its-tracks-a-mouse-study-finds
Here is a summary of the article and the study it describes:
Overview A groundbreaking study led by researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) has found a new "triple-drug" combination that completely eliminated pancreatic cancer tumors in mice. The treatment not only stopped tumor growth but caused them to disappear entirely without returning, a feat rarely achieved in pancreatic cancer research.
The "Triple-Drug" Strategy Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to treat because it quickly develops resistance to single drugs. To overcome this, the researchers simultaneously attacked three different critical "pathways" that the cancer uses to survive and grow. The combination included:
Daraxonrasib (RMC-6236): An inhibitor that targets KRAS, a gene mutation found in over 90% of pancreatic cancers.
Afatinib: A drug already approved for lung cancer that blocks EGFR, a receptor that sends growth signals to the cell.
SD36: A new experimental drug that degrades STAT3, a protein that helps cancer cells survive under stress.
Key Findings
100% Success Rate in Mice: The treatment eliminated tumors in all mouse models tested, including those with aggressive human pancreatic tumors grafted onto them.
Zero Recurrence: The tumors did not grow back for over 200 days after the treatment ended (a significant duration in the lifespan of a mouse).
Low Toxicity: Despite using three potent drugs, the treatment appeared to be safe and well-tolerated by the mice, with no significant side effects.
Why This Matters Current treatments for pancreatic cancer (like chemotherapy) often fail because the cancer finds "escape routes" to survive. By blocking the main driver (KRAS) along with its upstream (EGFR) and parallel (STAT3) backup routes, this therapy effectively corners the cancer cells, leaving them no way to survive or mutate.
Next Steps While the results are promising, the researchers caution that human biology is more complex than that of mice. The team is now looking toward the lengthy process of adapting this regimen for human clinical trials to see if it can offer the same life-saving potential for patients.
God, please be the one!
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Pancreatic Cancer Support Group.
Connect
@mnewland99
I have too much of it to ever be cancer free unfortunately. I have NETs. I still have a good size tumor on my pancreas, liver lesions, and some bone metastasis. I live on capecitabine. I do have side issues like neuropathy. Like you, though, I do feel very blessed and fortunate.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 Reactions@mnewland99 What have you tried for the peritoneal metastasis? I meant to ask earlier. I also meant to ask how is the ascites?
@tomrennie
Thanks for asking. I don't have ascites like I thought; it's internal neuropathy that feels like my entire abdomen is full of air that it can barely contain. I've been off chemo for almost 2 months now and not better at all. Gabapentin has given me tiny relief, but still difficult to walk much. I was on aggressive gem-abraxanxe since August, but the gem gave me severe cystitis so my UCLA oncologist said to take a month off chemo. I got severe neuropathy in hands and foot (foot recovering but not hands) so I'm goi g to try chemo again if my UCLA doc tells me it's ok. My Hoag oncologist says I shouldn't try it again, but my own observations is that abraxane is the only iv chemo that works on peritoneal cancer. I'm also going to ask my UCLA Dr if he thinks HIPEC would benefit me. Other than that, I'm out of luck.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@mnewland99 My goodness. You have a lot going on. I have never heard of internal neuropathy, but it makes sense. I was on Gabapentin for about 8 months during my first year of treatment for neuropathy. Like you, it gave me some relief but not enough to continue on it. At this point, you would know as well as your doctors what works. Hopefully, the chemo time off will give you enough of a break to resume. Let us know about HIPEC? I am curious what your doctor thinks. For now, we just keep plugging along the best that we can hoping something new comes along.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsQuestion for the Group to possibly give hope,…which studies / trials have shown partial (or prolonged success) that first was done using mice or animals? Can we show those examples as hope?
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionSorry for the AI response, but it puts it together better than I can....
While it is rare for a mouse study to translate instantly into a "cure," there are many powerful examples where strong mouse data led to treatments that now significantly extend life (prolonged success) or turn deadly cancers into manageable chronic conditions.
Here are specific examples of treatments that started in mice and are now saving or extending human lives, including some specifically for pancreatic cancer.
1. The "Gold Standard" Success Stories
These are famous examples where mouse research led to revolutionary changes in cancer care.
Herceptin (Trastuzumab):
The Mouse Study: In the 1980s, researchers found that injecting mice with antibodies that blocked the HER2 protein caused breast cancer tumors to shrink and disappear.
The Human Result: This directly led to the drug Herceptin. Before this, HER2-positive breast cancer was one of the deadliest forms. Now, Herceptin has saved millions of lives and is a standard part of the "cure" regimen for this type of cancer.
Immunotherapy (Checkpoint Inhibitors):
The Mouse Study: Nobel Prize winner James Allison discovered that blocking a protein called CTLA-4 in mice could "release the brakes" on the immune system, allowing it to destroy tumors. He famously cured thousands of mice in his lab.
The Human Result: This led to drugs like Ipilimumab (Yervoy) and Keytruda. These drugs have allowed some patients with Stage 4 melanoma (previously considered terminal) to live for decades, effectively being "cured."
2. Pancreatic Cancer Successes (From Mice to Humans)
Pancreatic cancer is harder to treat, but several standard treatments used today exist because they first worked in mice.
Abraxane (Nab-paclitaxel):
The Mouse Study: Researchers tested a new way of packaging chemotherapy (wrapping it in albumin protein) in mice. They found it could penetrate the tough "shell" (stroma) that surrounds pancreatic tumors better than standard chemo.
The Hope: This success in mice led to clinical trials that proved adding Abraxane to Gemcitabine significantly improved survival rates. It is now a standard, frontline treatment for pancreatic cancer patients worldwide.
Olaparib (Lynparza):
The Mouse Study: Studies in mice with BRCA gene mutations showed that their tumors were highly sensitive to a class of drugs called PARP inhibitors. The drugs stopped the cancer cells from repairing their DNA, causing them to die.
The Hope: This led to the POLO trial in humans. In 2019, the FDA approved Olaparib for pancreatic cancer patients with the BRCA mutation. For these patients, this pill can keep the cancer stable for a prolonged period after chemotherapy.
Onivyde (Liposomal Irinotecan):
The Mouse Study: Standard Irinotecan (a chemo drug) often had severe side effects and limited effectiveness. Researchers created a "fat-bubble" (liposome) version and tested it in mouse models (PDX models). They saw it stayed in the mouse tumors longer and worked better than the free drug.
The Hope: This translated to success in humans who had stopped responding to other treatments, giving them a new second-line option that extends survival.
3. Why the "Triple-Drug" Study is Promising
The study you originally asked about is exciting because it attacks the cancer from three sides at once to prevent resistance. This is the same strategy that turned HIV from a fatal disease into a manageable chronic condition.
The Pattern: Just like with Abraxane and Olaparib, researchers are seeing "complete responses" (tumors disappearing) in mice.
The Next Step: The fact that it worked on human tumors grafted onto mice (not just mouse tumors) makes it a stronger candidate for future human trials.
Summary for Hope: Every drug typically takes 10–15 years to go from a mouse cage to a pharmacy shelf. The treatments extending lives today (Abraxane, Onivyde, Immunotherapy) were the "exciting mouse studies" of the early 2000s. The triple-drug study represents the potential treatments of the near future.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
4 Reactions@mikewdby
Every drug on the market, except pre-FDA drugs like aspirin, has been tested in mice.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 Reactions@mikewdby, good question. As @val64, all clinical trials and hopes for new effective treatments are first tested in a lab in vitro (test tube) or in vivo (mice), called the discovery phase, before they can move to human trials.
You're right, Mike. Many trials either in the discovery phase or even in phase 1 or 2 fail.
@smoore4, found a good use for asking AI for an answer and listed a few successes in the treatment of cancer and pancreatic cancer. As always, remember to fact check. Sometime AI can be wrong, even when it sounds convincing.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
5 Reactions@smoore4 what vaccines? What test?
@cwilliams34 Here are a few examples....
Vaccines:
https://www.curetoday.com/view/off-the-shelf-vaccine-elicits-durable-responses-in-pancreatic-colorectal-cancers
Lab Tests:
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/researchers-identify-new-blood-markers-may-detect-early-pancreatic-cancer
Steve