Letter: World Pancreatic Cancer Day

Dear Editor,

Around 784 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer every year in the UK and tragically one in four people won’t survive for a month. Three in four won’t survive for a year making pancreatic cancer the quickest killing cancer.

Despite being the cancer with the worst outcomes, many people are unaware of the disease and the devastating impact it can have. As World Pancreatic Cancer Day approaches (15thNovember) I urge your readers to find out more about the disease and spread the world about its symptoms.

An increased awareness of the symptoms, which include tummy and back pain, indigestion, itchy skin or yellow skin or eyes, unexplained weight loss and oily floating poo, could lead to more people being diagnosed at an earlier stage. The earlier people are diagnosed, the earlier they can be treated it may increase their chances of being eligible for life-saving surgery.

Your readers can find more information about World Pancreatic Cancer Day at www.worldpancreaticcancerday.org or seek support from myself or one of my colleagues on the Pancreatic Cancer UK Support Line (Freecall: 0808 801 0707).

Thank you,

Dianne Dobson

Pancreatic Cancer UK Specialist Nurse

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davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer