KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian doctor is leading a clinical drug trial in Chicago, United States, that has been found to double the survival rate of pancreatic cancer patients, offering new hope against one of the deadliest forms of cancer.
Dr Devalingam Mahalingam (pic), who is heading the study at Northwestern University, said the treatment significantly improved outcomes among patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, a disease in which most sufferers survive less than a year after diagnosis.
The phase two clinical trial found that patients treated with Elraglusib in combination with standard chemotherapy had twice the chance of surviving beyond one year compared with those who received chemotherapy alone.
The treatment also reduced the risk of death by 38%.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, mark one of the few major advances in recent years showing a significant survival benefit for a broad group of pancreatic cancer patients.
“Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most challenging solid tumours to treat but these findings provide cautious optimism,” said Dr Devalingam, according to Bernama.
Dr Devalingam and his team are now conducting a larger phase three trial to confirm the results, raising hopes that the treatment could eventually benefit patients worldwide.
The trial involved 233 patients across 60 sites in North America and Europe, focusing on those with metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Patients receiving Elraglusib recorded a median survival of 10.1 months, compared with 7.2 months for those undergoing chemotherapy alone.
Notably, 44% of patients in the treatment group were still alive after one year, compared with 22% in the control group while about 13% survived up to two years - a milestone not observed among those receiving chemotherapy alone.
According to researchers, the drug works differently from conventional treatments by targeting the tumour microenvironment and reactivating the body’s immune response against cancer cells.
Although side effects such as fatigue and low white blood cell counts were reported, the study found the drug’s safety profile to be manageable.
Currently, pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat.
