Promising new treatments for pancreatic cancer and ALS

Pancreatic cancer is among the most deadly forms of cancer, and it can be difficult to catch early. But there’s some good news: Clinical trials of a new drug called daraxonrasib found that it doubled the survival time of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. And some oncologists are calling it a game changer—not just for pancreatic cancer, but potentially other forms of cancer too. Ira talks with oncologist Zev Wainberg, who led a clinical trial for the drug. 

Plus, ALS is a degenerative disease that causes patients to lose their ability to walk, swallow and eventually to breathe. Now, there’s a drug for a rare genetic form of ALS that can slow the progression or even reverse some of these symptoms. Ira talks with New York Times health and science reporter Pam Belluck about this new treatment.

Guests:

Dr. Zev Wainberg is a co-director of UCLA Health’s GI Oncology Program.

Pam Belluck is a health and science reporter for The New York Times.

Other episodes you may enjoy:

• mRNA Vaccine For Pancreatic Cancer Continues To Show Promise
• How do clinical trials work, and who can participate?

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.