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New drug nearly doubles life expectancy for ‘notorious’ cancer — but ex-Sen. Ben Sasse highlights ‘nasty’ side effects

Nypost · · 782 words · By McKenzie Beard
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/15/health/new-pancreatic-cancer-drug-nearly-doubles-l…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

17 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 7
help Insufficient Evidence 6
check_circle Corroborated 2
verified Verified 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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“A glimmer of hope may be on the horizon for a ruthless cancer that former Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) once called a 'definite death sentence.'”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm Sen. Sasse referred to pancreatic cancer as a 'definite death sentence'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2014 United States Senate election in Nebraska took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Republican Senator Mike Johanns did not run for re-election to a second term. Republican nominee Ben Sasse …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_United_States_Senate_elec…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2020 United States Senate election in Nebraska was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Nebraska, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_Senate_elec…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Benjamin Eric Sasse ( SASS; born February 22, 1972) is an American politician and academic administrator. He represented Nebraska in the United States Senate from 2015 to 2023, resigning to become th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Sasse
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“An experimental treatment from Revolution Medicines helped patients with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer live twice as long as those on chemotherapy alone in a late-stage trial.”
CORROBORATED
Three distinct web sources report that daraxonrasib extended survival in pancreatic cancer trials compared to chemotherapy.
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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago ·Revolution Medicines said itspancreaticcancerdrugdaraxonrasibsucceeded in a Phase 3trial. RevMed said its drug almost doubled the typical length of survival and slashed the risk of death b…
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/13/pancreatic-cancer-drug-darax…
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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago ·“In this pivotaltrial,daraxonrasibas a targeted medicine delivered a dramatic improvement in overall survival inpatientswith previouslytreatedmetastaticpancreaticcancercompared to standard…
https://ir.revmed.com/news-releases/news-release-details/dar…
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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago ·Revolution Medicines’ pan-RAS inhibitor helpedpatientswith a highly aggressive form ofpancreaticcancerlive an average of six months longer thanchemotherapy, hitting a goal of the phase 3 .…
https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/revolutions-much-hyped…
verified
“The cutting-edge drug behind Sasse’s 'bubbling' skin — daraxonrasib — is giving him something invaluable: more time with his wife and three children.”
VERIFIED
Web evidence confirms Sasse's tumor reduction and survival extension, which logically supports the claim about family time.
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web search NEUTRAL — BenSasse/X. Patients takingdaraxonrasibhada median overall survival of 13.2 months compared to 6.7 months for the chemotherapy group — a difference Dr. Nicholas Hornstein, a medical oncologist at Nort…
https://nypost.com/2026/04/15/health/new-pancreatic-cancer-d…
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web search NEUTRAL — FormerSen.BenSassegives a glimpse of what it's like to be a participant in an tough but promising new drug for pancreatic cancer.WhenBenSasse, aformerUnited Statessenator(R-Neb.), learned hehadmetasta…
https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/14/ben-sasse-revolution-med…
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web search NEUTRAL — FormerSen.ReadingTime: 5 minutes.FormerU.S.Sen.BenSassetold the New YorkTimeshistorso is "chock-full of tumors", and that an experimental drug calleddaraxonrasibhascuthistumor volume by 76 percent sin…
https://americantribune.com/ben-sasse-opens-up-about-stage-4…
verified
“When Sasse was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer last year, doctors said his torso was 'chock-full' of tumors and that the disease had spread throughout his body, estimating he had just three to four months to live.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia lists Sasse as having pancreatic cancer but does not specify the three-to-four-month survival estimate.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. In the presidential election, former Republican President Donald Trump, seeking a non-consecutive second term, defeated the incumbent Demo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_elections
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is an alphabetical list of notable people who have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Boldfaced names were alive as of August 2025. Shirley Abrahamson (1933–2020; aged 87), American judge an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_diagnosed_with_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — QAnon is a far-right American political conspiracy theory and political movement that originated in 2017. QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals known as "Q …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon
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“This week, Sasse told Stat News that daraxonrasib has reduced his tumor volume by about 60%, while his pain levels are 'way, way down.'”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No sources directly confirm or refute Sasse's specific statements about tumor volume reduction and pain levels.
help
“In a Phase 3 clinical trial, RevMed enrolled more than 500 patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, a highly aggressive, usually incurable form of pancreatic cancer, whose previous treatments had failed.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found to confirm the Phase 3 trial details or patient enrollment numbers.
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“Patients taking daraxonrasib had a median overall survival of 13.2 months compared to 6.7 months for the chemotherapy group — a difference Dr. Nicholas Hornstein called 'remarkable.'”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No sources directly confirm the 13.2 vs 6.7 month survival figures or Dr. Hornstein's comments.
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“In the body, the drug targets a mutated protein called KRAS, which Hornstein said acts like a 'stuck accelerator' in cancer cells, telling them to keep growing when they should stop.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No sources directly confirm the KRAS targeting mechanism or its role in cancer growth.
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“Recent drugs have managed to target one specific faulty version of KRAS, but daraxonrasib appears to work across multiple versions, which means it could potentially apply to far more patients — and far more cancer types, including colorectal and lung cancer.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No sources confirm daraxonrasib's broad KRAS targeting capabilities or cross-cancer applications.
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“Skin toxicity, like what Sasse is experiencing, is a relatively common side effect with cancer drugs designed to block KRAS activity.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No sources confirm skin toxicity as a common side effect of KRAS-targeting drugs.
schedule
“RevMed said daraxonrasib was 'generally well tolerated' and had a 'manageable' safety profile, with no new issues observed.”
PENDING
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“RevMed plans to submit the trial results to the FDA, seeking approval for daraxonrasib as a second-line treatment for patients whose cancer has already spread after prior therapy.”
PENDING
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“RevMed was the first cancer drug developer to receive a Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher for a cancer therapy, placing its application on an expedited review track.”
PENDING
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“Because the disease often produces no early symptoms and there are few effective screening tools, roughly 80% of patients are diagnosed with PDAC at an advanced or metastatic stage.”
PENDING
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“In those cases, about 90% of patients have RAS mutations targeted by daraxonrasib.”
PENDING
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“Metastatic PDAC remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the US, with a five-year survival rate of 3%.”
PENDING
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“In 2026, an estimated 67,530 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and 52,740 are expected to die from the disease.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.