Pancreatic cancer is the UK’s 5th leading cause of cancer death. Over 10,500 people die of the disease annually across the UK, often within weeks of diagnosis.
However, pancreatic cancer can be survived with early diagnosis.
For those diagnosed in time for potentially life-saving surgery, 5-year survival increases to around 30%. This presents an opportunity for intervention where people can be diagnosed earlier and live longer with a better quality of life.
NG12 recommends urgent direct access CT scan (to be performed within 2 weeks), or an urgent ultrasound scan if CT is not available, to assess for pancreatic cancer in people aged 60 and over with weight loss and any of the following: diarrhoea, back pain, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, new-onset diabetes.
- NG12 – Suspected cancer: recognition and referral
- NG85 – Pancreatic Cancer in Adults: diagnosis and management.
Useful resources
- Pancreatic cancer infographic – Gateway C
- Pancreatic cancer: A diagnostic guide for GPs – Pancreatic Cancer Action
- E-learning module: Pancreatic Cancer: Early Diagnosis in General Practice (RCGP/Pancreatic Cancer Action)
- GP resource pack – Pancreatic Cancer Action have created a free pack for GPs including diagnostic guidelines and symptom diary for patients.
Around 10% of pancreatic cancers are caused by hereditary factors. These occur in families with a history of either pancreatic cancer or hereditary pancreatitis or who carry an at-risk genetic mutation predisposing to these conditions.
NICE guidance (NG85) recommends pancreatic cancer surveillance for people with inherited high risk factors. Healthcare professionals in Wessex can now refer people with a family history of pancreatic cancer to the EUROPAC study for annual surveillance.
What is EUROPAC?
EUROPAC is a registry for families with histories of Familial Pancreatic Cancer and Hereditary Pancreatitis. The EUROPAC study also runs surveillance programmes for individuals who are deemed high-risk. Using the family history individuals provide, they can assess their lifetime risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Surveillance is offered on a yearly basis, and using a combination of CT, EUS, MRI and blood tests.
In order to ensure people with inherited risk factors for pancreatic cancer have access to a high-risk surveillance pathway aligned to NG85 NICE guidance, NHS England has partnered with EUROPAC. This partnership will provide a route from the NHS into a surveillance programme run at participating NHS Trusts.
The surveillance centre for patients in Dorset and Hampshire and Isle of Wight is: University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
How to refer:
There are a number of referral routes into EUROPAC from secondary care and clinical genetic services. For more details see the attached Health Professional Information Leaflet and referral form
europac@liv.ac.uk (for general enquiries)
europac.study@liverpoolft.nhs.uk (for referrals and queries with sensitive information)
Public awareness levels across the UK are low: 52% of people know ‘almost nothing’ about the disease, and 76% can’t name a single symptom.
Early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is critical to improving outcomes and survival. Understanding the risk factors and symptoms is key. Back in 2011, the 5-year pancreatic cancer survival rate was just 3%. By 2021 that statistic had increased to nearly 7.3%, suggesting that awareness raising is working.
Raising awareness can be done all year long, but a great time to get involved is during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month which takes place every November.
Pancreatic Cancer UK have created a range of tools to help you, find them all here:
- Symptoms awareness pack including leaflets and posters to put around the surgery
- Watch and share this one-minute symptoms video from Pancreatic Cancer UK
- Symptoms awareness graphics for Facebook and Twitter