Pancreatic cancer breakthrough: New drug ‘doubles survival rate’

A pioneering new drug for pancreatic cancer could double survival rates and cut the risk of death by more than a third – raising hopes for thousands of patients worldwide. 

Pancreatic cancer survival rates are among the lowest of all cancers, with only around 10 per cent of patients in Britain living longer than a year after diagnosis.

Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois, US, have developed a drug named elraglusib which has shown promising results in a new clinical trial that combined it with standard chemotherapy.

The study, published in Nature Medicine, involved 233 patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer – meaning the disease had already spread to other parts of the body – from North America and Europe. 

Participants were randomly assigned to receive either standard chemotherapy or chemotherapy combined with elraglusib. 

The results showed that patients given the new drug were twice as likely to be alive after one year compared with those receiving chemotherapy alone. 

Patients receiving elraglusib lived for an average of 10.1 months, compared with 7.2 months for those treated with chemotherapy alone. 

It also reduced the overall risk of death by 38 per cent. 

Around 44 per cent of patients given the drug were still alive after one year, compared with 22 per cent in the chemotherapy-only group. 

After two years, 13 per cent of those taking elraglusib remained alive, while no patients receiving only chemotherapy survived that long. 

Dr. Devalingam Mahalingam, professor of medicine at Northwestern University and the study’s lead author, said: ‘Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most challenging solid tumours to treat, but these findings provide cautious optimism for patients.

‘While these results will need to be confirmed in phase three trials, observing survival benefit in such a difficult-to-treat cancer is encouraging.’

Side effects were broadly similar to those seen with chemotherapy, although slightly more common in the elraglusib group. 

These included low white blood cell counts, fatigue and temporary changes to vision. However, all symptoms were reported to be reversible. 

Pancreatic cancer typically develops silently, with few clear warning signs, and is all too often only discovered once it has already spread, and prognosis is bleak.

Although nearly half of cases occur in the over-75s, there is growing evidence rates may be rising in younger people – particularly women – with the most aggressive form, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, driving the increase.

Experts say part of this may reflect better detection of smaller tumours. But there is also increasing concern that modern lifestyles are playing a role.

Smoking, obesity, alcohol use and poor diet are all known to increase the risk – largely by driving chronic inflammation, disrupting insulin levels and placing sustained stress on the pancreas. And the picture could yet worsen.

Scientists are now examining whether newer trends – including the surge in weight-loss injections and the rise of nicotine pouches such as snus – could also be affecting pancreatic health, though the evidence remains under investigation.

The pancreas – a small gland hidden deep behind the stomach – plays a vital role in digestion and blood sugar control. But because of its position, tumours can grow silently for months or even years without causing obvious symptoms.

By the time signs such as weight loss, abdominal pain or jaundice appear, the cancer has often already spread, limiting the chances of curative treatment.

Dr Mahalingam believes that that elraglusib could potentially have a broader impact in treating other types of tumours, not just pancreatic cancer. 

Families of participants said being involved in the trial gave their loved ones a sense of purpose.

Donna Husar, 65, from Illinois, said her late husband Matthew chose to take part shortly after his diagnosis.

His daughter, Madeline, 29, said: ‘When you read about pancreatic cancer online, it’s terrifying. But knowing there was research and a trial gave us something positive to focus on instead of stressing about the worst-case scenarios.’

Maria Lepowsky, 75, from Wisconsin, said the trial experience for her late husband Robert Brightman – who participated in the trial for around two years – improved his quality of life, as well as extending it.

She said: ‘My husband believed in helping future patients. 

‘Inevitably, there were some serious side effects, but nonetheless, for most of the treatment period, he was able to take the 151 bus to Northwestern Medicine on his own to the clinic.

‘That was really important to him.’

The findings are also likely to bring hope to those affected by pancreatic cancer, the 10th most common cancer in Britain, with around 11,000 new cases diagnosed each year. 

It is currently the fifth leading cause of cancer death, accounting for nearly 10,000 deaths annually.