Nic Dakin MP: More action needed on Pancreatic Cancer

Today is the second ever World Pancreatic Cancer Day, which runs as part of November’s Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month (PCAM). These dates see charities representing those affected by the disease, together with their supporters, upping their efforts to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer. For instance, Pancreatic Cancer UK is running its Purple Lights for Hope campaign, which will see over 170 buildings and landmarks across the UK light up purple in November. Major locations such as Edinburgh Castle, London’s County Hall, the Welsh Assembly Senedd building and Belfast Castle are all taking part.

As well as raising awareness of the disease generally, Pancreatic Cancer UK is using PCAM to engage with politicians across the UK, holding events in Westminster, Holyrood, Stormont and Cardiff Bay, making the case for change.

And the truth is there is a lot that needs to be done. Pancreatic cancer has the worst survival of any of the 21 most common cancers, with less than 4% of patients in the UK living for five years or more following diagnosis. Across the country, one person dies from the disease every hour. It is the 11th most common cancer, with nearly 9,000 new cases diagnosed in 2013, and yet is the 5th largest cause of cancer death, expected to rise to the 4th largest by 2030, overtaking breast cancer.

One of the main reasons for such poor survival is that the disease is often diagnosed at a late stage. We need to see a public awareness campaign to make more people aware of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer. This also applies to GPs – who will probably only see one case every five years on average – who need better training and support to help them identify the possible signs of the disease and refer patients for specialist tests sooner. Earlier diagnosis should mean more patients being eligible for surgery, which is currently the best hope of a cure: sadly, less than 10% of patients currently go on to have surgery.

Once a patient has been diagnosed, they also need to access the most up to date treatments as quickly as possible. On 4th November, in a huge backwards step, the Cancer Drugs Fund in England removed the drug Abraxane, the biggest advance in treating advanced pancreatic cancer for nearly two decades, from its list of approved drugs. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also rejected Abraxane for use in England back in October. The drug has been proven to extend patients’ lives by an average of 2 months and whilst that may not sound like a lot, when you consider that the average survival time for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer is just 2-6 months, the relative survival gain is a large one. The whole drug appraisal system in England needs revising to ensure that patients suffering from conditions with the worst survival rates, like pancreatic cancer, do not have new life-extending treatments denied to them on the NHS when they come available.

This is not a short list of changes. But with more investment in research, a greater focus on raising awareness of symptoms and improving early diagnosis, and a concerted effort to make sure new treatments are made available on the NHS as soon as possible, we will hopefully start to see a better prognosis for pancreatic cancer patients in the future.

More information about pancreatic cancer and the work of Pancreatic Cancer UK can be found at www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk.