No cancer diagnosis is good news, but some cancers are sadly more deadly and more brutal than others – pancreatic cancer being one of them.
According to Cancer Research UK, there are around 10,800 new pancreatic cancer cases in the UK every year – that’s 30 a day. While Pancreatic Cancer Action notes that it’s the fifth most lethal and the 10th most common cancer in the UK.
“The majority of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are dead within three months,” says Heather Archbold, Health Information and Research Manager at Pancreatic Cancer Action. “44% of cases are diagnosed in A&E, where it is often too late for curative treatment.” In fact, only 10% of patients are diagnosed in time for life-saving surgery.
But a potential vaccine is now offering new hope to pancreatic cancer patients, as well as bowel cancer patients. Findings published in the journal Nature Medicine, have revealed that in an early trial featuring pancreatic and bowel cancer patients, the groundbreaking new jab appears capable of slowing progression of the disease and boosting survival chances.
The vaccine works by harnessing the body’s own immune system to target specific cells, called KRAS-mutant cancer cells, and the pancreatic cancer patients in the study, on average, survived around two years and five months after receiving the vaccine.
Study lead Dr Zev Wainberg, from the University of California, Los Angeles, in the US, told the PA news agency: “Pancreas cancer (patients) even after all standard treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, still have very high risks of the cancer coming back.
“Our results show, in the group of patients who had profound immune responses (17/25 68%) achieved longer survival than we have expected in this cancer, quite a remarkable finding to occur in a phase 1 trial.”
One of the major issues with pancreatic cancer is that symptoms can be “vague” and “masquerade as other less threatening illnesses” like irritable bowel syndrome and gallstones, “so a lot of people will not tend to worry about them or present to the GP with them until it’s too late,” explains Archbold. “Even when they do present, GPs don’t often recognise the signs and symptoms, so it’s definitely one of the most misdiagnosed of all the common cancers.”
“Time is of the essence with pancreatic cancer,” she continues. “We encourage everyone to trust their instincts and see a healthcare professional if they notice unusual symptoms, no matter how small they may seem. Early diagnosis saves lives.”
Signs and symptoms
These are the early symptoms to be aware of. “It is worth noting these symptoms may appear as a combination and not independently,” flags Archbold.
Abdominal or back pain
Don’t automatically assume you’ve slipped a disc or pulled a muscle. Abdominal (the tummy area) or back pain could be a warning sign, “particularly if it’s a mild discomfort and worsens over time, or it can be eased by leaning forward,” says Archbold. The back pain usually occurs “where a woman’s bra strap would sit.”
“It’s the stomach and back pain that tends to drive patients to A&E,” she adds. Back pain tends to occur when “the tumor will have spread beyond the pancreas and will be pressing against the spine”.
Unexplained weight loss
As with many cancers, “weight loss without trying” is a red flag for pancreatic cancer. So if your jeans are suddenly much looser without your diet changing, speak to your GP.
Jaundice
“Jaundice is the yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes,” explains Archbold. “It doesn’t present the same in people with darker skin. That’s why we always ask people to look at the whites of their eyes.”
She adds that “jaundice can cause intense itching” on the body too.
Changes to urine and stools
Things to look out for are “stools that won’t flush” as well as “darker urine”, but any noticeable changes that are out of the ordinary for you are worth seeing a GP about, including pale, greasy looking stools.
New onset diabetes
According to Diabetes UK, early signs of diabetes include peeing more frequently, especially at night, being very thirsty, feeling more tired than usual, losing weight without trying, genital itching or thrush, cuts and wounds taking longer to heal, blurred eyesight and increased hunger – some of which overlap with the other early signs of pancreatic cancer.
A persistent or a sudden drop in energy
This isn’t being knackered for a couple of days after a busy week or a bad night’s sleep, but “persistent fatigue, no matter how much sleep you are getting,” says Archbold.
Indigestion
You might just need some over-the-counter medicine, but if indigestion doesn’t seem to respond to the usual meds, see your GP.
For more information on pancreatic cancer symptoms and early diagnosis, check out pancreaticcanceraction.org.