Former Sen. Ben Sasse reveals stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis
Ben Sasse announces stage 4 pancreatic cancer and shares gratitude for leaders’ response to X.
Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse is crediting a “miracle drug” currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration for managing the pancreatic cancer he diagnosed in December.
The former Nebraska state senator spoke about his battle with cancer on the Sunday, April 26 episode of “60 Minutes” with Scott Pelley. Doctors initially gave him three to four months to live, but thanks to “providence, prayer, and a miracle drug,” they now say he has much more time to live.
He said the cancer has spread to other parts of his body, including his lungs and liver, but doctors are treating him with an experimental drug called dalaxone lasib.
Experts say the drug could allow patients to treat pancreatic cancer without the toxicity of chemotherapy.
“I’m in much, much less pain than when I was diagnosed four months ago, and my tumor volume has decreased significantly by 76 percent in the past four months,” Dr. Sasse said in an interview on “60 Minutes.” “So maybe you can crank it out and live a year instead of a few months.”
He added that he is currently on large doses of morphine, which he is also grateful for.
“I’m also benefiting from this drug,” he said. “The pressure from the tumor on my spine has decreased considerably. Thanks to a combination of great medicine and another helpful drug, morphine, I am in far less pain than I was between Halloween and Thanksgiving.”
What is Darathon Lasib?
Revolution Medicines, a California-based company, developed the drug in clinical trials. Revolution Medicine said on its website that patients taking Daraxone Lasib must take the drug orally every day.
More than 90% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have mutations in a gene called KRAS, a member of the RAS gene family, said Dr. Christopher Liu, an oncologist and professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.
Although not involved in the clinical trial, Liu spoke to the university in February about the drug and how it could change the way doctors treat pancreatic cancer. This drug targets the RAS gene.
“This drug binds to the activation pocket (of the genetic mutation) and blocks it,” Liu said. “It’s like having a loudspeaker and covering it so the sound doesn’t escape. This targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer may work more effectively than chemotherapy, meaning it could potentially be a less toxic treatment.”
On April 13, the company announced that among the study population in clinical trials, the median survival rate for patients who took dalaxone lasib was 13.2 months, compared to a typical survival rate of 6.7 months for patients who received chemotherapy.
The FDA still needs to determine whether the drug is safe and is conducting a review, according to the University of Colorado Anschutz College. The approval process typically takes 10 to 12 months, but a new federal testing program has allowed the FDA to shorten the process to one to two months.
Watch Ben Sasse’s “60 Minutes” interview
Ben Sasse announces ‘death sentence’ in December
Sasse revealed in a December 2025 X post that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, calling it a “death sentence.”
“But before last week, I had already been sentenced to death — as did everyone,” he wrote at the time. “I’m not going to go down without a fight. Part of God’s grace is seen in the (amazing) advances in science over the past few years in things like immunotherapy.”
When asked on Sunday’s episode of “60 Minutes” if he was praying for a miracle, Sasse said it’s not his biggest prayer, but he is praying for a miracle.
He added that he is also grateful for the changes the diagnosis has brought to his life. He said he has been telling himself the truth more recently. When asked if he could live another 30 years, he said he would probably work with his daughters to build a space that resembles a family compound. I have also reduced my travel for work.
He has a collection of thousands of hotel room keys, leftovers from time spent on the road on work obligations.
“Sometimes I feel a heavy sense of regret just looking at it,” he said. “I would make better decisions about that…I would keep thinking and writing about the digital revolution that we’re about to enter and go through, because I think we’re going to come out on the other side richer and more textured, but it’s going to be a watershed moment.”
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s Trends team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – 757. Please send your email to: sdmartin@usatoday.com.
