21 November is World Pancreatic Cancer Day. To support this important campaign, Emily Tracey, a Senior Account Director at Porterhouse Medical, shares her experience with this devasting disease and explains why we must all learn the symptoms.
Demand better
Take it on
Turn It Purple
#MISSED
Taken out of context, these are simple statements or words. Put them into context, awareness campaigns for pancreatic cancer over the last few years, and they mean a huge amount more.
Shockingly, whilst pancreatic cancer is the UK’s 5th biggest cancer killer, only 3.1% of cancer research funding is dedicated to the disease [1].
You need only look at the statistics to solidify the need to achieve greater awareness, funding and research for pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose, and this is one of many reasons why the survival rates for pancreatic cancer are low [2]. In the UK, the overall survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 24.4% at 1-year, 7.3 % at 5-years, and 1% at 10-years [3].
Earlier diagnosis improves these rates, with those diagnosed in time for surgery having a survival rate of 30% beyond five years [3].
Additionally, with early diagnosis there is an increased likelihood that a patient is eligible for surgery [3]. With surgery currently being the only possible curative treatment, and patients with advance stage pancreatic cancer often not able to undergo this treatment [4], more needs to be done to improve early diagnosis. A terrifying statistic, that 50% of all pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed as an emergency at which time the cancer is more likely to have already spread beyond the pancreas, further adds to the case that more needs to be done to enable earlier diagnosis [5].
There are many reasons why pancreatic cancer is diagnosed late and lots that needs to be done to improve chances of early diagnosis [6]. One of these reasons is that symptoms of the disease often get missed or mistaken for symptoms of other more common illnesses [7], but we can combat this through increasing public awareness and provision of information on pancreatic cancer and its symptoms.
Unfortunately, despite the great efforts of the awareness campaigns executed by charities such as Pancreatic Cancer Action and PCUK, there is still more to be done to increase public awareness.
Let me pose you a question: at this very moment, without asking a friend or running a quick google search, can you name any symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
If you answered no, you are in the exact same position I was in six and a half years ago.
In early 2017, I received the news that my dad had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. At the time, I could not have told you even one symptom of pancreatic cancer.
You would think it would be obvious, the symptoms of such a devastating disease, but unfortunately symptoms often go unnoticed until it’s progressed too far and the cancer is at an advanced stage [7].
My dad was diagnosed fairly early on and one of the 10-15% eligible for the potentially curative surgery [3], but unfortunately this did not prevent the reoccurrence of the disease, and this is the same narrative being written for so many pancreatic cancer patients.
So whilst increasing public awareness of the disease is important to move closer towards the vision of earlier diagnosis for all, there is also a clear need to demand better treatment options for a better prognosis such that surgery is not the only potential cure.
The day I learned of my dad’s diagnosis, the day I learned his surgery was not successful in preventing progression or spread of the disease, the day I learned that he was too unwell for clinical trials, the day he passed, were all days that have cemented my passion to raise awareness for the disease and to demand better for those affected.
This November, the Porterhouse team are taking on the challenge to increase public awareness of pancreatic cancer and its symptoms.
To find out more about the symptoms of pancreatic cancer, please visit the pages listed below:
Cancer Research UK. Pancreatic cancer symptoms.
Pancreatic Cancer Action. Pancreatic cancer symptoms.
Join us in taking on the fight against pancreatic cancer. Any action, no matter how big or small, will help towards the cause, and so we invite you to join in; simply sharing this article will support the awareness campaign, or perhaps coordination of a fundraising activity within your community!
To find out more about how you can get involved click here
The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content is for general information purposes only. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or medical condition.
References
[1] Pancreatic Cancer Action: Pancreatic cancer facts. Available at https://pancreaticcanceraction.org/about-pancreatic-cancer/pancreatic-cancer-facts/ – Accessed 20/11/2024
[2] Pancreatic Cancer UK: How is cancer diagnosed? Available at How is pancreatic cancer diagnosed? – Pancreatic Cancer UK– Accessed 20/11/2024
[3] Pancreatic Cancer Action: Pancreatic cancer diagnosis and survival. Available at https://pancreaticcanceraction.org/about-pancreatic-cancer/pancreatic-cancer-prognosis-and-survival/ – Accessed 20/11/2024
[4 ]Pancreatic Cancer Action: If you can’t have surgery. Available at https://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/information/just-diagnosed-with-pancreatic-cancer/if-you-cant-have-surgery-inoperable-cancer/ – Accessed 20/11/2024
[5] Pancreatic Cancer Action: Pancreatic cancer facts. Available at Pancreatic Cancer Facts | Pancreatic Cancer Awareness | PCA – Accessed 20/11/2024
[6] Pancreatic Cancer Action: Why we focus on early diagnosis. Available at https://pancreaticcanceraction.org/about/early-diagnosis/why-we-focus-on-early-diagnosis/ – Accessed 20/11/2024
[7] Pancreatic Cancer Action: Common misdiagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Available at https://pancreaticcanceraction.org/about-pancreatic-cancer/diagnosis-of-pancreatic-cancer/common-misdiagnosis-of-pancreatic-cancer/ – Accessed 20/11/2024
Author:
Emily Tracey
Senior Account Director, Porterhouse Medical
Group