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Aren't those 20 per cent of tumors more concentrated on the "intractable" side? If so, then the hyperbole is forgivable.

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It does seem like those 20% are exactly on the nasty side. So even more impressive.

I'm no expert, and don't know if it applies in this case, but for a cancer I had (lymphoma) I was told that aggressive can often be easier to treat or "cure" (as defined by survival rates, etc.) since it also can often be hit more brutally by the treatments.

Anyway, since many in my family have died from this horrible cancer, its fantastic news to hear of any improvements there.

Sorry, it does not apply ... this drug inhibits (for the first time) the KRAS mutation (previously considered "undruggable") that is the primary cause of 90% of pancreatic cancers and 50% of colon cancers.

No reason to be sorry, that sounds like this is even better news then :)

I just meant that this doesn't apply to lymphoma, which is not caused by KRAS.

Lymphoma is a bit of an outlier. In the case of lymphoma, more aggressive types indeed respond better to treatment, and given that we are now fairly good at treating lymphoma, that translates to good outcomes.

That is not true for most cancers, though.

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