A new pancreatic cancer drug is changing survival odds — and Type 3c diabetes will follow
A clinical trial has shown that daraxonrasib, a once-daily oral pill, can double survival time for people with pancreatic cancer. For the diabetes community, that has a quieter implication: a growing number of pancreatic cancer survivors will go on to develop Type 3c diabetes, and almost none of them will be ready for it.
The Type 3c connection
Pancreatic cancer and its treatment damage or remove pancreatic tissue. When that happens, both insulin and glucagon production fall alongside enzyme production — producing Type 3c (pancreatogenic) diabetes. It is not Type 1 and it is not Type 2, and it does not behave like either.
Why it is systematically misdiagnosed
Type 3c is frequently misclassified as Type 2 at diagnosis. This matters because standard Type 2 management advice does not fit. People with Type 3c have an impaired glucagon response, making hypoglycaemia harder to self-correct, and they need enzyme replacement therapy alongside insulin.
What better survival rates mean
If daraxonrasib delivers at scale, far more patients will survive long enough to live with the downstream consequences of pancreatic disease — including diabetes. The Type 3c population will grow. They will need management tools built for their physiology, not rebranded Type 1 or Type 2 apps.
What makes Type 3c different to manage
Dual hormone deficiency (insulin and glucagon), exocrine pancreatic insufficiency requiring PERT such as Creon, unpredictable glucose swings in both directions, and fat absorption that changes both the glucose response and enzyme dosing needs. Standard apps do not model any of this. GlycoTrace does.
This article summarises publicly available research for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. If you have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer or are managing Type 3c diabetes, consult your endocrinologist and diabetes care team. Daraxonrasib is a clinical-stage drug; speak to your oncology team about trial eligibility. Guts UK (gutscharity.org.uk) is the leading UK charity for pancreatic conditions.
