‘The undruggable became druggable’: a breakthrough cancer treatment

About this episode

The episode discusses a breakthrough cancer treatment that can double survival time for patients with a deadly cancer, featuring insights from a medical oncologist.

A daily pill can double survival time in patients with the world’s deadliest cancer, according to the results of a clinical trial that experts are saying is a gamechanger and one of the biggest breakthroughs in decades. To find out more about how daraxonrasib works and how life-changing it could be for patients, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Prof Naureen Starling, consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden hospital. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

People in this episode

Host: Madeleine Finlay

Guest: Prof Naureen Starling

Topics covered

• cancer treatment
• clinical trials
• medical breakthroughs
• oncology
• survival rates

Keywords

• cancer
• treatment
• daraxonrasib
• survival
• clinical trial
• oncologist
• breakthrough

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Royal Marsden hospital

Products: daraxonrasib

Places: world

More episodes of Science Weekly

• The dinosaurs who survived the asteroid · June 9, 2026 · 17 min
• Heatstroke, sports washing and VAR psychology: the science of the World Cup · June 4, 2026 · 21 min
• The incredible science of the sleeping brain · June 2, 2026 · 15 min
• Are robots nearing their ChatGPT moment? · May 28, 2026 · 17 min
• Do red-light masks really keep you looking young? · May 26, 2026 · 14 min
• Stateside with Kai and Carter: why the fight over abortion pills is only just beginning · May 23, 2026 · 43 min