BRITS are being warned over a “silent killer” disease that may initally appear as just back pain.
Nearly 10,000 Brits are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year – with less than one per cent living beyond 10 years.
Back pain is a symptom of pancreatic cancer
The pancreas is an elongated gland located behind the stomach and under the liver.
It has two main functions: dripping digestive enzymes into the gut to help break down food, and releasing the hormones insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar.
Pancreatic cancer occurs when malignant – cancerous – cells form in the tissues of the pancreas.
Now a bereaved daughter is trying to raise awarness of its symptoms which iinclude abdominal and back pain, unexplained weight loss and jaundice.
Grainne O’Neil’s mum was diagnosed in 2013 at age 53.
She was told she had a kidney infection – but just days later was told that she had stage four pancreatic cancer.
She told ITV: “Mummy was offered palliative chemo which gave her a few more months, but unfortunately she lost her battle seven months after her diagnosis.
“It was a shock to us because mummy had been basically healthy until we got that diagnosis and then it was quite fast moving so we didn’t have a lot of time to get our head around things.”
The average survival rate across Europe is just five per cent, with just one per cent living for ten years or more after diagnosis.
Grainne added: “I don’t want another family to have to go through what we have gone through, mummy has missed out on so much, this cancer has robbed us of so many years that we should have had with mummy.
The 12 signs of pancreatic cancer you need to know…
Pancreatic cancer is known as the silent killer because it’s hard to diagnose early – it does not cause any signs or symptoms at the early stages.
That’s why it’s so important to be aware of the symptoms to look for as soon as they start.
The most common symptoms to look out for include:
tummy pain
back pain
unexplained weight loss
indigestion
loss of appetite
changes to bowel habits: This includes steatorrhoea (pale, smelly stools (poo) that may float), diarrhoea (loose watery stools) or constipation (problems opening your bowels)
jaundice: The most common signs of jaundice are that your skin and white of your yellow. It also causes dark urine, pale stools and itchy skin
difficulty swallowing: Some people can find it difficult to swallow food, or might cough or choke when they eat, bring food back up or feel that food is stuck in their throat
recently diagnosed diabetes: The pancreas produces insulin, which helps to control the amount of sugar in the blood. Cancer can stop it from working properly, meaning it might not produce enough insulin and cause diabetes
extreme tiredness (fatigue)
feeling unusually full after food
blood clots in a vein
“We want people to know about the symptoms of pancreatic cancer so they have a chance of early detection.”
One reason for such a poor outlook is that pancreatic cancer tends to be diagnosed too late.
By the time you have symptoms, have gone to your GP and been diagnosed, the cancer tends to be quite advanced.
Only eight out of 100 people can have surgery to have their pancreas removed – which gives them the best chance of cure.
Surgeon Professor Mark Taylor said: “Late diagnosis is equivalent to poor survival.
“Only eight out of 100 people with pancreatic cancer will be alive in five years, and the key to managing it is the earlier we make the diagnosis, the more likely it is you can have surgery and chemotherapy and the likelihood then of survival increases.
“The later we see you, the less options are available.”