Pancreatic Cancer Action
Ali
Stunt
Ceo
Mission
Founded by a pancreatic cancer survivor, who proves that early diagnosis is achievable, and survival is possible, Pancreatic Cancer Action’s vision is a day when everyone is diagnosed early and survives pancreatic cancer.
Our mission is to improve survival rates of pancreatic cancer by ensuring more people are diagnosed early and in time for surgery – currently the only potential for a cure – and improve the quality of life for patients.
We are doing this by:
> Raising public awareness of pancreatic cancer and its symptoms
> Helping HealthCare professionals diagnose pancreatic cancer sooner by providing free resources and e-learning
> Funding research to help find a diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer
> Providing free, easy to understand, patient information
> Campaigning for change on a national and global level
Category
Health
Additional Information
Pancreatic Cancer Action was founded in 2010 by a rare survivor of the disease out of a desperate need to give more attention to a disease that has been neglected for far too long.
While we are a very small team (only 9 people) , we punch above our weight and are not afraid to 'take action' and stand up for the cause, our patients and their families.
Less than 8% of those who are diagnosed with the disease will survive past 5 years and most will die within 4-6 months. This is the worst survival rate of any of the 22 common cancers and compares with 97%, 85%, and 66% survival for testicular, breast and cervical cancers respectively.
Pancreatic cancer is the 5th biggest cause of cancer death in the UK, however, it is set to become the 4th biggest by 2026 as other cancers’ survival rates continue to improve. The survival statistics for pancreatic cancer have not changed markedly in nearly 50 years.
Early diagnosis is key to improving survival rates as the sooner the disease is diagnosed, the better the prognosis. For those diagnosed in time for surgery, their chances of survival increase to 30 per cent. Quite simply, we know that pancreatic cancer can be detected early, and as long as we are here and continue to be supported, we will do all we can do to make sure this happens more and more.