Increased awareness call for pancreatic cancer in SW
Only 7% of people in the South-West of England know a lot about pancreatic cancer, according to a national awareness survey commissioned by Pancreatic Cancer Action.
Nationally, the figures are even worse, with 5% claiming they know a lot about the disease.
Across the nation this year, 9600 men and women will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and 8,800 will die of the disease. In the South West, 963 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Of that number, only 48 survived.
It is the UK’s fifth worst cause of cancer death, with a survival rate of just 5% - the worst of the 22 most common cancers. Despite these stats, pancreatic cancer remains largely unheard of and research into the disease is chronically underfunded.
Pancreatic Cancer Action is a UK charity founded by Ali Stunt, a rare survivor of the disease. The charity’s main objective is to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer with the public, the UK medical community and the government in order to improve early diagnosis
Ali Stunt says that: “Despite the increasingly high rate of pancreatic cancer in the UK, our new research highlights a fundamental lack of awareness of the tell-tale signs of the disease.
“Survival rates of pancreatic cancer remain at a standstill, with less than 1% of sufferers being given a prognosis for a ten-year life expectancy. Given that there is currently no screening process available for pancreatic cancer, it is imperative that people can spot the signs and symptoms early enough to make surgery a viable option, in order to secure earlier diagnosis of this deadly disease, and improve survival rates."
Symptoms include (but are not limited to) jaundice, weight loss, new onset diabetes and severe abdominal or back pain.
Most people with these symptoms do not have pancreatic cancer, but anyone with one or more of them should see their GP. Studies show that diagnosis early enough for surgery increases a patient’s life expectancy significantly.
For more information on symptoms visit pancreaticcanceraware.org.
To find out how you can help to increase awareness and ultimately reduce pancreatic cancer deaths in the UK, please contact Natasha North at Pancreatic Cancer Action at natasha@panact.org
