The science and practice of translation is about more than moving discoveries from the lab to the clinic. It also helps break down barriers to access so crucial developments in cancer care can reach patients and improve outcomes all over the world.
To help you spread the word about these discoveries, ASCO publishes patient-friendly summaries of some of the most exciting research from each year’s Annual Meeting. We encourage you to share them with your patients and their loved ones.
The 2026 meeting delivered a historic breakthrough in pancreatic cancer treatment. Here are facts you can share with your patients about the RASolute 302 trial and the recent approval of daraxonrasib (Rasonque) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).1,2
Facts About Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which starts in the ducts of the pancreas, makes up nearly all cases of pancreatic cancer. Most of these cancers are diagnosed after they have already spread to other parts of the body, called metastatic PDAC (mPDAC).
People with mPDAC typically receive chemotherapy as their first-line (initial) treatment and as their second-line (next) treatment when needed. However, cancer grows within a few months for many people who receive this treatment.
Most mPDACs have a variant in the KRAS gene, which is known to drive cancer growth by producing the abnormal KRAS protein.
Daraxonrasib is a new type of targeted therapy called a RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibitor that can turn off the KRAS protein to stop cancer growth. [Editor’s note: On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved daraxonrasib (Rasonque) for patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer.]
A previous phase I/II clinical trial found that daraxonrasib is safe and effective for people with advanced PDAC with a KRAS variant who have already received treatment. However, RASolute 302 is the first phase III clinical trial to evaluate daraxonrasib in these patients.
How Did the Study Work?
The RASolute 302 study included 500 people with mPDAC who had previously received treatment and were still able to carry out most of their usual daily functions. The median age of the participants was 66, and about half were men. The study was presented at ASCO by Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, of the Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research and Gastrointestinal Cancer Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston.
Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH
The participants were randomly assigned to receive either daraxonrasib (248 people) or chemotherapy (252 people). Most of the participants in both groups had tumors with a KRAS variant known as RAS G12.
What Did the Study Find?
Daraxonrasib delayed cancer growth and improved overall survival when compared to chemotherapy. This was true regardless of whether the participants had a RAS G12 variant.
The median overall survival was about 13 months for participants in the daraxonrasib group. The median is the midpoint, which means half the participants lived longer than 13 months and half died before 13 months. In the chemotherapy group, the median overall survival was around 6 and a half months.
Daraxonrasib also stopped the cancer from growing for about twice as long as chemotherapy, and the percentage of people who had the tumor shrink by 30% or more because of treatment was higher in this group. In addition, the people in the daraxonrasib group experienced fewer serious side effects than those in the chemotherapy group. The most common serious side effects of daraxonrasib were rashes and mouth sores.
People in the daraxonrasib group also reported less pain and a better quality of life than those in the chemotherapy group. Overall, fewer people in the daraxonrasib group stopped treatment because of side effects.
What Does This Mean for People With Cancer?
For people with mPDAC that has grown during or after initial treatment, the targeted therapy drug daraxonrasib, a pill taken once per day, can help them live longer without their cancer growing and with fewer side effects than chemotherapy, the current standard of care.
REFERENCES
1. Wolpin BM, et al: 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting. Abstract LBA5. Presented May 31, 2026.
2. O’Reilly EM, et al: N Engl J Med 395:325-337, 2026 (published online May 31, 2026).
Reprinted from ASCO Connection, June 17, 2026. Copyright 2026, ASCO.
