74% can’t name one symptom
Shocking new statistics from national charity Pancreatic Cancer Action have revealed that 62% of people in Scotland know “almost nothing” about pancreatic cancer and 74% can’t name one symptom.
93% of people in Scotland also said that they are more likely to seek help for what they consider to be classic cancer symptoms, such as a lump. 908 people in Scotland had pancreatic cancer in 2019 with only 20% of people reaching the 1-year survival mark.
This World Pancreatic Cancer Day (Thursday 17th November 2022), the charity is urging people to share the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer with their family and friends to improve early diagnosis and save lives.
Pancreatic Cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in the UK with only 7% of people surviving beyond five years. It can be difficult to diagnose as many of the symptoms are put down to other, benign diseases by both patients and GPs 90% of people with pancreatic cancer receive a diagnosis too late for potentially curative treatment.
Symptoms include mid-back pain, changes in bowel habits, stomach pain, losing weight without trying, a recent diagnosis of diabetes without weight gain, nausea or jaundice. An individual could have all or none of these symptoms.
The survey was completed by over 2000 people around the UK to gauge the public’s knowledge of pancreatic cancer as part of Pancreatic Awareness Month (1st-30th November). The survey revealed some interesting results, including that 19% believe that veganism can help to cure cancer.
Ali Stunt, Founder and CEO of Pancreatic Cancer Action, and pancreatic cancer survivor, said “These shocking statistics show that we still have an incredibly long way to go to raise awareness of this deadly disease. Most pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed too late.
“In order to change outcomes for pancreatic cancer, we need to get people diagnosed sooner and improving public symptom awareness is one way to achieve this.”
Pancreatic Cancer Action is one of the UK’s leading charities that focus on early detection. They recently funded a ground-breaking new study alongside the University of Surrey and the University of Oxford that revealed that it may be possible to identify people with the disease up to three years earlier than current diagnoses.
Responding to reports that Scotland is the second worst country in Western Europe for pancreatic cancer survival rates, Foysol Choudhury MSP said: “These figures from Pancreatic Cancer UK are very concerning. Pancreatic cancer is the least survivable cancer in Scotland and the only way to survive it is to catch it early, yet this all too rarely happens.
“November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and I was fortunate enough to speak to several people at an event in the Scottish Parliament this week, including Wendy who had lost her daughter to pancreatic cancer aged just 25, leaving a 3-year-old child without a mother.
“She was initially told that her symptoms were likely to be a virus before ultimately being diagnosed with cancer. It was incredibly sad to hear of her case and other lives cut short by late diagnosis of this terrible disease.
“I have lodged questions in the Scottish Parliament asking the Scottish Government how they will improve early diagnosis for pancreatic cancer. I hope that by building momentum for awareness, funding and research, we can improve the prognosis for the over 900 people who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in Scotland.
“I would like to thank Pancreatic Cancer UK for their work in bringing these figures to the Scottish Parliament’s attention and advocating for improved diagnosis and treatment of this disease.”
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