Cracking KRAS: Can We Finally Treat Pancreatic Cancer?

Pancreatic cancer has notoriously been hard to detect and treat. Changes in the KRAS gene cause cells to make a protein that make pancreatic cancer grow. And that protein has been notoriously difficult to target. But now, a promising new class of drugs is boldly going where no drug has gone before. In this episode, Dr. Kaylee Byers sits down with medical oncologist Dr. Brandon Huffman to unpack the science behind this breakthrough medication. And, we also meet pancreatic cancer patient and advocate, Stephanie Ramsey, who shares how genetics shaped her own cancer journey, and what these latest advances could mean for the people who need them most. From a once “undruggable” disease finally meeting its match, to questions around accessibility, Kaylee explores what this development could mean for the future of pancreatic cancer care. - Highlights 01:52- Why Is Pancreatic Cancer So Hard to Treat? 06:40- How Genetic Testing Changed Stephanie’s Cancer Journey 22:25- A Breakthrough Drug. But Who Can Get It? -  Sources Pancreatic cancer statistics (Canadian Cancer Society) Pancreatic cancer statistics (World Cancer Research Fund) Scientists finally crack an “undruggable” pancreatic cancer target and nearly double survival FDA Approves First in Class Targeted Therapy for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer