St. Charles offers groundbreaking pancreatic cancer medication

Patients at St. Charles Cancer Institute are receiving a 'game changing' medication found to double life expectancy for patients with stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer. Seven patients with St. Charles began receiving the medication daraxonrasib earlier this month, through expanded access that allows access to prescription drugs prior to approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The medication was approved by the FDA Aug. 26. While this medication is not a cure, it offers meaningful extension of life expectancy (up from 6 months to 13 months), according to early research.

"This is the first time in many years that we have a completely new treatment that really makes a noticeable difference in how long those patients live," said Dr. Christina Fitzmaurice, medical director for research at St. Charles Cancer Institute. "Especially with metastatic pancreatic cancer, we run out of treatment options pretty quickly. The only thing we can offer is hospice. This medication can extend life by an extra year, which is pretty meaningful."

La Pine resident John Johnson, 78, is one of the patients to begin the medication through this program. He had pancreatic cancer for more than a year and had run out of treatment options.

"I was on the tail end. This drug coming out, it was like a new breath of life. We will see how long I last - a year, maybe two," said Johnson. He wants to spend that time with his wife Barb, working in his shop and enjoying his garden. "All you've got to do is keep your chin up and not sit in a chair too much."

St. Charles Cancer Institute was able to secure early access to this medication prior to FDA approval thanks to the dedication of caregivers across departments working behind the scenes for months. Clinical researcher Kat Brookhart says the effort is more than worth it.

"I love getting to be a part of something this meaningful, which is so important to patients and their families to get precious extra time."

Dr. Linyee Chang, Executive Medical Director for St. Charles Cancer Institute, said teams are dedicated to pursuing expanded access to medications like daraxonrasib.

"We want patients in Central Oregon to have access to emerging treatments and medications that can make a powerful difference in their lives. This is an exciting moment to celebrate and also representative of the kind of work our teams are doing behind the scenes every day to serve our patients," said Chang.