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Pancreatic cancer: The disease that strikes fear into doctors' hearts
Illness was something other people suffered as far as triathlete Trace Allen was concerned.
The 65-year-old father of three had spent the past few decades taking part in so many marathons, triathlons and iron man competitions that he'd barely had the time to be knocked back by even a cold.
So when his skin, eyes and nails started to turn yellow from jaundice – the first signs of pancreatic cancer – in September 2004, no one was more shocked than he.
"I went into denial that such a diagnosis could be associated with me, a lifelong fitness seeker," he says.
For most, the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is a death sentence. Its survival rate is the poorest of any cancer, with just 15 per cent of the 7,700 people diagnosed annually expected to survive one year, according to charity Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Unlike other cancers, there is no early detection test and symptoms can sometimes only appear when it is too late.
Here in Calderdale, the plight of pancreatic cancer sufferers has been highlighted by David Conroy, of Sowerby Bridge, who was given just two years to live when he was diagnosed in 2007.
Thanks to family and friends rallying round and an anoymous donation from a local businessman, he managed to raise most of the 25,000 he needed to pay for a pioneering private treatment.
But by the time he went to undergo the procedure, he was told it was too late and there was nothing doctors could do.
Actor Patrick Swayze was already at stage IV when his pancreatic cancer was discovered in 2008. He died at the age of 57 in September.
Allen, now in his fifth year of remission, is in an extreme minority. Only three per cent of people living with pancreatic cancer are expected to survive five years – compared with 80 per cent for breast cancer and 70 per cent for prostate cancer.
Shockingly, while survival rates for every other cancer have increased in the past 40 years, the rate for pancreatic cancer has stayed the same, says GP Dr Sarah Jarvis, who, along with Allen, is supporting the first-ever Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Week this week.
"The words pancreatic cancer strike fear into the heart of every doctor – and with good reason," she says.
Difficult to diagnose
The pancreas, located behind the stomach and shaped like a leaf, produces digestive juices as well as insulin, to balance the sugar level in the blood.
Pancreatic cancer can affect the pancreas itself, or, less commonly, the cells that produce insulin. But the pancreas is hidden so deep within the body that diagnosis – and treatment – can be very difficult.
Around 80 per cent of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are over 60, according to Cancer Research UK. But symptoms tend not to appear until the disease is well advanced, so the average survival time after diagnosis is just six months.
Risk factors include a history of diabetes, pancreatitis or stomach ulcers. Diets high in fat, sugar and red or processed meats may also increase one's risk.
"Smoking is also a major factor," says PCUK's Sue Bollard. "Around 20 per cent of cases may be linked to smoking."
Symptoms
The symptoms can be non-specific, and could even be caused by many other more common, and less serious, conditions, says Bollard.
Diagnosis can therefore be delayed as other causes, such as hepatitis, gall stones, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and stress, are all ruled out.
Early symptoms include stomach pain, sickness, bowel disturbance or diabetes.
Around 70 per cent of patients have jaundice at the time of diagnosis, as Allen did, which is caused by a tumour in the head of the pancreas obstructing the bile duct.
Jaundice causes yellowing eyes and skin, dark urine, pale stools and itchy skin – and can be very painful, says Allen.
Screening
Treatment for pancreatic cancer depends on the stage and type of cancer, according to Cancer Research UK.
Small tubes, or stents, can be inserted into the body to relieve symptoms of jaundice, while radiotherapy and chemotherapy can be used to shrink tumours.
Only in 10 per cent of cases is pancreatic cancer operable.
Again, Allen was lucky to be in the minority: His cancer was caught early enough that three surgeries, as well as three rounds of chemotherapy, were able to force the cancer into remission.
While there is no screening test reliable enough for those deemed at average risk of pancreatic cancer, those at high risk may be screened through EUROPAC, an organisation which researches pancreatic cancer. If you are aged 40 and over, and have hereditary pancreatitis or a high incidence of pancreatic cancer in the family, you should talk to your GP about EUROPAC.
Purple power
Pancreatic cancer's abysmal survival rate is due to a lack of research and funding, says PCUK's Ballard.
"If we're going to make any progress with pancreatic cancer, we need more research and funds to look at earlier diagnosis, prevention and more effective treatment," she says.
That's why PCUK, supported by Allen, Dr Jarvis and Britain's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan, are asking people across the UK to "go purple" and raise funds during Pancreat-ic Cancer Awareness Week.
Participants are asked to host "Purple Day" events like coffee mornings, football games or cake sales, and send the proceeds on to PCUK.
Allen is hopeful that more research will help increase pancreatic cancer survival rates.
As for himself, he attributes much of his success to positive thinking.
"It never really occurred to me that I might not survive," says the athlete, who has completed eight half-marathons and six duathlons.
For more information about pancreatic cancer, visit www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk
“Around 20 per cent of cases may be linked to smoking.”
Symptoms
The symptoms can be non-specific, and could even be caused by many other more common, and less serious, conditions, says Bollard.
Diagnosis can therefore be delayed as other causes, such as hepatitis, gall stones, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and stress, are all ruled out.
Early symptoms include stomach pain, sickness, bowel disturbance or diabetes.
Around 70 per cent of patients have jaundice at the time of diagnosis, as Allen did, which is caused by a tumour in the head of the pancreas obstructing the bile duct.
Jaundice causes yellowing eyes and skin, dark urine, pale stools and itchy skin – and can be very painful, says Allen.
Screening
Treatment for pancreatic cancer depends on the stage and type of cancer, according to Cancer Research UK.
Small tubes, or stents, can be inserted into the body to relieve symptoms of jaundice, while radiotherapy and chemotherapy can be used to shrink tumours.
Only in 10 per cent of cases is pancreatic cancer operable.
Again, Allen was lucky to be in the minority: His cancer was caught early enough that three surgeries, as well as three rounds of chemotherapy, were able to force the cancer into remission.
While there is no screening test reliable enough for those deemed at average risk of pancreatic cancer, those at high risk may be screened through EUROPAC, an organisation which researches pancreatic cancer. If you are aged 40 and over, and have hereditary pancreatitis or a high incidence of pancreatic cancer in the family, you should talk to your GP about EUROPAC.
Purple power
Pancreatic cancer’s abysmal survival rate is due to a lack of research and funding, says PCUK’s Ballard.
“If we’re going to make any progress with pancreatic cancer, we need more research and funds to look at earlier diagnosis, prevention and more effective treatment,” she says.
That’s why PCUK, supported by Allen, Dr Jarvis and Britain’s Got Talent judge Piers Morgan, are asking people across the UK to “go purple” and raise funds during Pancreat-ic Cancer Awareness Week.
Participants are asked to host “Purple Day” events like coffee mornings, football games or cake sales, and send the proceeds on to PCUK.
Allen is hopeful that more research will help increase pancreatic cancer survival rates.
As for himself, he attributes much of his success to positive thinking.
“It never really occurred to me that I might not survive,” says the athlete, who has completed eight half-marathons and six duathlons.
l For more information about pancreatic cancer, visit www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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