Early-stage clinical trials show promising results in pancreatic cancer
Between May 29th and June 2nd, 2026, clinicians and researchers from around the world gathered in Chicago, IL for the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The yearly conference brings together the world’s best minds to share ideas and clinical breakthroughs for all the different types of cancers, but this year’s event will be remembered as the year pancreatic cancer treatment took a huge step forward.
The conference included over 7,000 abstracts divided between talks and posters ranging from clinical trial results and treatment options, translational research, and patient care across all types of cancer. The oral presentations focused on early-stage clinical trial results that highlighted promising results from novel treatments in development for pancreatic cancer and other advanced malignancies. Pancreatic cancer was featured in more than 75 poster presentations and 3 oral presentations. The 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting will be remembered for the blockbuster results from Revolution Medicine’s phase 3 clinical trial, RASolute 302, evaluating daraxonrasib and providing clinical validation of the benefit of RAS inhibition in pancreatic cancer. While this landmark trial offers hope, in order to significantly increase the 5-year survival rate past 13% more treatment options for all patients are necessary.
RAS inhibition will likely become a pillar of standard care for patients, but additional treatments still need to be available to combine with RAS targeted therapy to continue the current forward momentum in the field. Thankfully, daraxonrasib is not the only hopeful news from ASCO. These additional early clinical trial results are potential therapies that may continue to improve patient survival in the years to come.
Additional Highlights
MEK Inhibitor Atebimetinib
More than 90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) have mutations in the KRAS gene, making the KRAS signaling cascade a pathway of intense interest for the generation of targeted therapies. Until recently RAS was thought to be ‘un-druggable’ and researchers have been developing drugs to block the signaling cascade at other proteins.
MEK is a protein in the RAS signaling cascade; KRAS activates Raf protein which in turn activates MEK which then perpetuates the signaling that results in uncontrolled cell growth and division.
The Trial
55 patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer who had not had previous chemotherapy were treated with daily atebimetinib combined with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel regime every other week
Results (based on 55 patients)
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Overall Response Rate (ORR) | 35% |
| Disease Control Rate (DCR) | 82% |
| median Progression Free Survival (mPFS) | 8.3 months |
| median Overall Survival (mOS) | 17.3 months |
Tolerability: Most common adverse events attributed to atebimetinib were rash and elevated liver enzymes
Take Home
Based on the strength of the results below, there is a Phase 3 clinical trial, MAPKeeper, which is expected to start in mid-2026.
Bispecific Antibody QLS31905
Immunotherapy has transformed the standard of care of cancers such as melanoma and lung cancer but has had little effect on the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
The Trial
88 patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer who had not had previous chemotherapy were given QLS31905 every 3 weeks in combination with either gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (cohort 1) or oxaliplatin plus capecitabine (cohort 2).
Results (based on 83 patients, both cohorts 1 and 2)
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Overall Response Rate (ORR) | 59.8% |
| Disease Control Rate (DCR) | 89% |
| median Progression Free Survival (mPFS) | 8.74 months |
| Duration of Response (DoR) | 8.94 months |
| Overall Survival (mOS) | 15.87 months |
Take Home
A phase 3 clinical trial is currently underway evaluating QLS31905 in combination with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel as a first line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer.
Personalized Neoantigen Vaccine XP-004
PDAC has a high rate of recurrence after surgical resection; most patients are given chemotherapy with the goal of eliminating any remaining cancer cells. For patients who cannot tolerate chemotherapy there are currently no other alternatives, and these patients may benefit from a personalized vaccine to train their immune systems to identify and kill remaining tumor cells. Tumor cells express proteins that distinguish them from healthy cells, called neoantigens, that can be used by the immune system to recognize and eliminate them. Suppressive mechanisms can stop this from happening but administering a vaccine armed with these neoantigen proteins can potentially train immune cells to recognize the tumor cells again.
Results
Median follow up was 43.9 weeks after surgery or 37.6 weeks after first vaccine: 100% of patients were recurrence free with most common adverse events of fever and itchiness (attributed to anti-PD-1 therapy)
Take Home
This study is still ongoing and aims to enroll up to 20 total patients and allow more time for follow up of treated patients.
While daraxonrasib was the biggest headline from the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting, there are other hopeful treatments on the horizon. This exciting moment in pancreatic cancer research is the culmination of years of research and thanks to investing in researchers. This progress is made possible due to the support of our incredible community, together, we are building a brighter future for all patients.