Pancreatic cancer patient Ben Sasse sees 'massive' tumor reduction with experimental new drug

Months aft revealing his signifier 4 crab diagnosis, erstwhile U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse is speaking retired astir an experimental therapy that could widen his life.

Sasse, a Republican who represented Nebraska betwixt 2015 and 2023, shared successful December 2025 that helium has metastatic pancreatic cancer, which has dispersed to aggregate organs — including his liver and lungs.

After initially being fixed 3 to 4 months to live, Sasse, 54, entered a objective proceedings for a cause called daraxonrasib, an oral therapy (pill) that is designed to artifact the defective cistron that triggers uncontrolled cellular growth.

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The California-based drugmaker, Revolution Medicines, precocious shared information from a signifier 3 objective proceedings of radical with metastatic pancreatic crab who did not respond to modular chemotherapy. 

Patients connected the attraction lived a median of 13 months, compared to astir six months for those who continued with chemo.

Former Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska entered a objective proceedings for a cause called daraxonrasib, an oral therapy (pill) that is designed to artifact the defective cistron that triggers uncontrolled cellular growth. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

"I person much, overmuch little symptom than I had 4 months agone erstwhile I was diagnosed, and I person a monolithic 76% simplification successful tumor measurement implicit the past 4 months," Sasse told "60 Minutes" successful a caller interview.

Daraxonrasib works by going aft a cardinal maturation "switch" successful galore cancers called RAS, according to Sarbajit Mukherjee, M.D., main of gastrointestinal aesculapian oncology astatine Miami Cancer Institute, portion of Baptist Health South Florida. 

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"In pancreatic cancer, that power is stuck successful the ‘on’ presumption successful the immense bulk of tumors, perpetually telling the crab cells to turn and spread," the doctor, who was not progressive successful the proceedings and did not dainty Sasse, told Fox News Digital.

"Daraxonrasib is designed to hindrance to RAS successful its progressive authorities and crook down that signal, which tin dilatory oregon shrink the cancer."

"The cause is successful the last stages of objective trials, wherever it has been shown to treble the endurance of those antecedently treated for metastatic pancreatic cancer."

Pancreatic crab is hard to diagnose aboriginal due to the fact that determination are mostly nary symptoms — oregon lone subtle gastrointestinal symptoms — until it is already widespread, according to Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News elder aesculapian analyst.

"This is the first-of-its-kind targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer," Siegel, who besides was not progressive successful the probe oregon the senator’s treatment, told Fox News Digital. "The cause is successful the last stages of objective trials, wherever it has been shown to treble the endurance of those antecedently treated for metastatic pancreatic cancer."

Sasse, shown above, announced his diagnosis precocious past year. An adept noted that the endurance boost seen from the objective proceedings is simply a "big difference" for a illness that typically has overmuch shorter endurance times. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Mukherjee noted that the endurance boost seen successful the proceedings is simply a "big difference" for a illness that typically has overmuch shorter endurance times.

"From my perspective, arsenic idiosyncratic who treats pancreatic crab each day, daraxonrasib is the archetypal targeted pill successful this illness that genuinely feels similar a measurement alteration alternatively than a tiny incremental improvement," helium said.

"It opens the doorway to overmuch much personalized strategies going forward. For a crab wherever advancement has been painfully slow, it could reshape however we attraction for patients with precocious disease."

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While existent chemotherapy options tin shrink pancreatic tumors and assistance radical unrecorded longer, they are "tough," Mukherjee noted — "and erstwhile they halt working, our options are constricted and endurance is usually measured successful conscionable a fewer much months."

Early information besides suggests that erstwhile daraxonrasib is combined with modular chemotherapy arsenic the archetypal treatment, determination is much shrinkage of tumors and much patients doing good astatine six months than they typically would lone with chemotherapy.

Sasse shared successful December 2025 that helium has metastatic pancreatic cancer, which has dispersed to aggregate organs, including his liver and lungs. (Meghan McCarthy/Palm Beach Daily News/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

If the cause is approved, it volition apt go an important enactment for patients erstwhile modular chemotherapy stops working, Mukherjee suggested.

"Ongoing trials are present asking whether it should besides beryllium utilized arsenic portion of the precise archetypal attraction plan," helium added.

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Although the cause is described arsenic "well-tolerated" compared to chemotherapy, the doc noted that, similar immoderate beardown crab drug, daraxonrasib has broadside effects. 

"The ones we spot astir often see rash, diarrhea, rima sores and fatigue, with patients needing regular humor tests and adjacent follow‑up portion connected treatment," Mukherjee said. 

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In the objective trials, astir of these problems person been managed by adjusting the dose oregon adding supportive medications.

"The limitations are important to beryllium transparent astir — it is inactive not yet FDA‑approved, and it is not a cure," Mukherjee noted. 

In summation to the daraxonrasi, Sasse credits his religion for helping him bushed his archetypal prognosis. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

"Over time, astir cancers volition yet find ways to turn astir the drug."

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In summation to daraxonrasib, which helium calls a "miracle" drug, Sasse credits his religion for helping him bushed his archetypal prognosis.

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"It's weird to beryllium successful your aboriginal 50s and get a terminal diagnosis, and radical each of a abrupt enactment similar you're 93 oregon 94, and you person a batch of wisdom," helium said. 

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"I don't cognize that I person a batch of wisdom, but I person a batch of things that I deliberation we should beryllium reflecting connected together."

Fox News Digital reached retired to Sasse for further comment, and to the caput of the objective proceedings arsenic well.