People have been urged to check for two early warning signs that could indicate they have pancreatic cancer. Despite being dubbed the 'silent killer' some symptoms are experienced.
Tragically, politician and journalist Jerry Springer died from the disease last month after being diagnosed with it just months. Experts say the cancer has one of the lowest 10-year survival rates, reports the Mirror.
Cancer Research UK says just five per cent of people with the disease survive for more than a decade. Around 10,500 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK each year. And it is the 10th most common cancer in the UK.
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Researchers have identified two unrecognised early symptoms that people can look out for and will help doctors better diagnose the disease. Both yellowing of the skin (jaundice) and bleeding in the stomach or intestine were seen as the two most serious symptoms associated with the disease.
Experts have found two other lesser-known and unrecognised warning signs of pancreatic cancer are increased thirst and dark yellow urine. These symptoms were identified in a study last year.
“When pancreatic cancer is diagnosed earlier, patients have a higher chance of survival,” said Dr Weiqi Liao, data scientist at the University of Oxford.
“It is possible to diagnose patients when they visit their GP, but both patients and GPs need to be aware of the symptoms associated with pancreatic cancer.”
“Being aware of the early symptoms of pancreatic cancer is crucial if we are to diagnose patients earlier and improve pancreatic cancer survival,” added Dr Pippa Corrie, chair of the pancreatic workstream of the NCRI Upper Gastrointestinal Group and Consultant Medical Oncologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, UK.
“This research could help GPs and their patients know more about the signs of pancreatic cancer. It’s vital that people speak to their GP if they notice these symptoms.”
There were a long list of other symptoms that were also found in the study last year. They included:
- Problems swallowing
- Diarrhoea
- Change in bowel habits
- Vomiting
- Indigestion
- Abdominal mass
- Abdominal pain
- Weight loss
- Constipation
- Fat in stool
- Abdominal swelling
- Nausea
- Flatulence
- Heartburn
- Fever
- Tiredness
- Appetite loss
- Itching
- Back pain
Pancreatic cancer is more likely for those aged over 75 and is not common for people under 40, according to the NHS.
People can reduce their chances of getting the cancer by cutting down on red and processed meat, not being overweight, not smoking and drinking less alcohol.
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