A Breakthrough in Pancreatic Cancer Treatment – KRAS Targeting and Daraxonrasib

Pancreatic cancer treatment has entered an exciting new chapter. On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the oral medication daraxonrasib for metastatic pancreatic cancer. This represents a breakthrough in pancreatic cancer treatment. It is the first ever RAS-targeted therapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer and the first major new metastatic pancreatic cancer treatment that has been approved this decade.

In this episode of CancerCast, Drs. Manish Shah and Shubham Pant break down why pancreatic cancer is one of the most challenging cancers to diagnosis and treat and discuss the rapidly changing treatment landscape. They explore the science behind targeting KRAS, one of the most common drivers of pancreatic cancer, why KRAS mutations have historically been so difficult to target, as well as the importance of biomarkers and genetic testing. Drs. Shah and Pant provide a deep dive into the details of the clinical trial that led to the FDA approval of daraxonrasib, also now known as Rasonque. Drs. Shah and Pant also discuss the growing number of clinical trials building on this RAS-targeting breakthrough and the importance of continued research and drug development for this aggressive disease. As precision medicine continues to reshape pancreatic cancer treatment, there is growing optimism about the future of treatment and care.

Guest: Shubham Pant, MD, MBBS, Professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology with a joint appointment in the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, the Phase 1 Center at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Host: Manish Shah, MD, Chief of Solid Tumor Service and Director of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.