UH Seidman Cancer Center Researchers Participate in trial of Newly FDA Approved Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Drug in Rare Form of Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Innovations in Cancer | Winter 2023

A drug that recently received accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat a form of non-small cell lung cancer caused by a unique genetic mutation also appears to be effective against advanced pancreatic cancer caused by the same uncommon mutation. That is the conclusion of a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, co-authored by UH Seidman Cancer Center’s David Bajor, MD. KRAS p.G12C mutation occurs in approximately 1 to 2 percent of pancreatic cancers.

The safety and efficacy of the study medicine sotorasib, a KRAS G12C inhibitor, had previously been unknown among previously treated patients with KRAS p.G12C–mutated pancreatic cancer. Study results show that sotorasib showed anticancer activity and had an acceptable safety profile in patients with KRAS p.G12C–mutated advanced pancreatic cancer who had received previous treatment. The research team says that these results are quite promising and suggest that inhibitors could even be developed for KRAS mutations that are linked to more common forms of pancreatic cancer.