How to detect early signs of pancreatic cancer?

Pancreatic cancer is the 11th most common cancer in the UK, with around 10,000 people diagnosed each year.

But it is also one of the most deadly cancers - with a quarter of patients dying within a month of diagnosis.

Only 1% are alive after 10 years, compared with 78% for breast cancer and 98% for testicular cancer.

Part of the problem is that the disease causes very few symptoms in its early stages, so it often goes undetected until the cancer is too late to treat.

There are currently no screening or early detection tests for the disease and 53% are diagnosed at stage 4 cancer, when it has spread throughout the body.

The vast majority of GPs admit it is difficult to spot the early signs of pancreatic cancer.

A survey of 1,000 UK GPs about pancreatic cancer found that only 3% were very confident they could spot the signs in patients.

Doctors call the disease “a wolf in sheep's clothing” because the symptoms – back pain, jaundice and weight loss – are often mistaken for indigestion, acid reflux or back strain.

If doctors detect signs, they may send the patient for a CT scan or MRI, which can lead to diagnosis and treatment.

But this only works if the signs are detected early.

Only 11% said they were equipped to diagnose pancreatic cancer early enough to be treatable.

What is pancreatic cancer?

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of the disease and about 95% of people who get it will die.

Joan Crawford, Patrick Swayze and Luciano Pavarotti are famous people who have died of pancreatic cancer.

It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death in the UK – around 10,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in the country, compared with around 55,000 in the US.

Reason

The disease is caused by abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells in the pancreas - a large gland in the digestive system.

Who is most at risk?

Most cases (90%) are in people over 55 years of age.

About half of new cases occur in people 75 years of age and older.

One in ten cases is thought to be genetic.

Other possible causes include age, smoking, and other health conditions, including diabetes.

Why is the disease deadly?

There is currently no screening method for pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer often has no symptoms in its early stages, when the disease is more manageable.

People with the disease tend to start developing telltale signs — jaundice and abdominal pain — around stage 3 or 4, when the disease has likely spread to other organs.

Treatment options?

The only effective treatment is removal of the pancreas.

This approach is largely ineffective for people whose cancer has spread to other organs.

In such cases, palliative care is recommended to ease the patient's suffering during the remaining days.