She's trying to outrun pancreatic cancer. Breakthrough treatments give her hope

"It took six months of doctors probing and repeatedly scanning her abdomen to find the cause of Vicky Stinson's jaundice. By the time a doctor uttered the words "pancreatic cancer," Stinson's disease was at Stage III. A doctor warned her she had "months not years to live." "That was really hard," Stinson, a self-proclaimed optimist, admits. "And I decided not to take that prognosis," she says with a laugh."

"Luckily for Stinson, researchers are breaking through with pancreatic cancer a disease notoriously hard to detect and treat. Stinson herself benefitted from one of them a new drug called daraxonrasib, a medicine that works by targeting and killing cancer cells that have a common mutation. There are other promising treatments , too, including an individualized mRNA vaccine, and a device that delivers alternating electrical fields to the abdomen."

"About 70,000 Americans are diagnosed annually with pancreatic cancer, and about 80% of them are diagnosed at a late stage. Many companies are working on developing better ways to screen for the disease, through blood tests that detect markers for multiple cancers, for example. But for now, the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer remains at a dismally low 13%, according to the American Cancer Society."

"By comparison, immunotherapies, genetics and AI imaging have increased the 5-year survival rate for cancers overall to 70% even for previously lethal forms like skin and lung. With similar breakthroughs under way for pancreatic cancers, researchers say treatment could transform within a couple years. So Stinson is hoping science will help her outrun her cancer."

Vicky Stinson experienced months of abdominal probing and repeated scans before pancreatic cancer was identified at Stage III. A doctor warned she had months to live, but she chose not to accept the prognosis. Two years later, she continues living actively, supported by new research-based treatments. She benefited from daraxonrasib, a drug designed to target and kill cancer cells with a common mutation. Other promising approaches include an individualized mRNA vaccine and a device that delivers alternating electrical fields to the abdomen. About 70,000 Americans are diagnosed annually, and roughly 80% are diagnosed at a late stage. Despite low current survival rates, researchers expect treatment advances to transform care within a couple years.

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