A Breakthrough That Could Change the Future of Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is widely considered one of the deadliest forms of cancer in the world. The reason is simple but devastating: by the time it’s usually detected, it’s already too late. Symptoms often appear only after the disease has aggressively progressed, leaving patients with limited treatment options.
For decades, scientists have known that a mutation in a gene called KRAS plays a central role in driving pancreatic cancer. However, this gene was long labeled “undruggable,” meaning researchers believed there was no effective way to stop or control it.
That belief may now be changing.
Spanish scientist Mariano Barbacid has achieved a major breakthrough after six years of dedicated research. His team genetically engineered mice to develop the same aggressive pancreatic cancer found in humans. Instead of targeting KRAS directly, they focused on a crucial enzyme the cancer depends on to survive — known as c-RAF.
When this enzyme was completely eliminated, something remarkable happened.
The cancer didn’t just slow down. It stopped entirely.
In the treated mice, tumors fully regressed, and the cancer disappeared altogether. For the first time, scientists observed total remission of advanced pancreatic cancer in a living mammal.
Barbacid cautions that this discovery does not mean an immediate cure for humans. Developing a safe and effective treatment could still take years. However, the significance of this breakthrough cannot be overstated.
It proves one powerful idea: pancreatic cancer — long considered incurable — may not be incurable after all.