Koko Maxwella 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Spanish scientists report that an experimental three-drug therapy completely eliminates pancreatic cancer tumours in laboratory mice, a finding that excites the global scientific community while remaining far from use in humans.
The study, led by biochemist Mariano Barbacid at Spain’s National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), was published on 27 January in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) after nearly six years of laboratory research. International outlets including The Times of India and Business Standard highlight the findings.
Researchers test the therapy on mice with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most aggressive and common form of pancreatic cancer. The disease is among the deadliest cancers worldwide, largely because it is detected late and resists most treatments. Fewer than 10 per cent of patients survive five years after diagnosis.
According to the study, tumours in treated mice disappear entirely after a combination of gemcitabine, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and neratinib. Scientists also observe that the cancer does not return even after treatment stops—an outcome described as rare in pancreatic cancer research.
The team reports low toxicity, noting that the animals tolerate the treatment well. Low toxicity is a critical requirement before any therapy can progress towards human trials.
Barbacid explains that pancreatic cancer adapts rapidly to single-drug treatments. “The tumour activates alternative pathways to survive,” he argues. The three-drug strategy blocks several mechanisms at once: gemcitabine attacks fast-dividing cancer cells, ATRA weakens the dense tissue protecting the tumour, and neratinib shuts down growth signals.
The research focuses on cancers driven by KRAS mutations, found in more than 90 per cent of pancreatic cancer cases and long regarded as difficult to target.
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Oluwafunbi Bello 
Korede Abdullah 
