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PANCREATIC CANCER PIONEERING BETTER TREATMENTS Although survival rates for many types of cancer have improved over the years, pancreatic cancer is still particularly hard to treat – in part because it’s often diagnosed late. That’s why research into pancreatic cancer is one of our key priorities. Thanks to your support, we spent around £6 million last year on our pioneering work. WHAT IS PANCREATIC CANCER? The pancreas is a small gland that sits behind your stomach. It has two important jobs – to make the digestive juices that break down food, and to make hormones such as insulin. Cancer can develop in any of the cells that make up the pancreas. Symptoms of pancreatic cancer include stomach or back pain, jaundice and weight loss. If you experience any of these symptoms it doesn’t necessarily mean you have cancer, but it’s important to talk to your GP about it. Each year around 8,800 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK. And it claims almost as many lives. Through our research we want to help more people live longer. HOW IS PANCREATIC CANCER TREATED? Treatment is based on the patient’s overall health and how advanced the cancer is. If possible, surgeons will remove the cancer and follow up with chemotherapy. If the cancer has spread, doctors will usually advise chemotherapy and occasionally radiotherapy too. They may also offer surgery to help relieve symptoms, or recommend joining a clinical trial. Have you got questions about cancer? Visit cruk.org/cancer-help or call our specialist cancer nurses on 0808 800 4040 Pancreatic cancer remains challenging to treat – but we’re working hard to change this WHAT COULD AFFECT YOUR RISK? 60+ More than eight in 10 cases occur in people aged 60 and over. Smoking causes more than one in four cases of pancreatic cancer. Being overweight, particularly having lots of abdominal fat, increases the risk. Heavy alcohol consumption may increase the risk, as might a diet high in red meat. Having radiotherapy in the past can slightly increase the risk. Other medical conditions, such as diabetes, can increase the risk. OUR SCIENCE CHANGES LIVES Our clinical trials have improved the outlook for people with pancreatic cancer across the world, but better treatments are urgently needed. YASMIN FROM LONDON SUPPORTS OUR RESEARCH My dad Shaukat started to feel unwell - he was having digestion trouble and had lost a lot of weight. Tests revealed he had pancreatic cancer. He was quickly given chemotherapy and responded well at first, but then the symptoms returned and scans showed the tumour had grown. He had treatment to relieve the symptoms and he fought hard, but I lost my dad to this devastating disease just 18 months after his diagnosis. Cancer Research UK t: +44 (0)20 7242 0200 Registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666) and the Isle of Man (1103). For information on pancreatic cancer research, stats, signs & symptoms and treatment, go to cruk.org MAKING A DIFFERENCE We receive no government funding for our research Thanks to our research, treatment for pancreatic cancer has improved and is helping patients live longer. But much more needs to be done - boosting research into pancreatic cancer is a top priority for us. PROFESSOR ANDREW BIANKIN IN GLASGOW TELLS US HIS STORY Pancreatic cancer, the silent killer, claims too many lives – including that of my mentor and friend of many years. It’s a very diverse disease which may explain why we have failed to make big improvements in treatment so far. To make progress we need to be able to identify the faulty molecules driving different types of the disease, in order to tailor treatments better. That’s why I’m researching how to personalise treatment for pancreatic cancer, so that the right drug is given to the right patient. CHANGING TREATMENTS GLOBALLY CREATING MORE TOMORROWS We funded the largest ever trial for people with operable pancreatic cancer, which showed that giving patients chemotherapy after surgery reduces their risk of the cancer returning, or delays it. We funded the first trial to show that a new combination of chemotherapy drugs, capecitabine and gemcitabine, can help people with advanced pancreatic cancer live longer. PIONEERING SCIENCE IMPROVING TREATMENTS Our scientists have made key breakthroughs by revealing the role played by healthy cells surrounding the tumour. This could lead to new approaches to treating the disease. Our researchers have discovered important molecular signposts that might help doctors decide the best course of treatment for people with pancreatic cancer. OUR PROGRESS IS YOUR PROGRESS We are tackling pancreatic cancer by unravelling the root causes of the disease and carrying out clinical trials to improve treatments. Liverpool: Professor John Neoptolemos is leading clinical trials to find the best chemotherapy to give to patients. He’s testing whether a combination of drugs might increase survival compared to a single drug. Cambridge: Professor Duncan Jodrell is finding new ways to treat pancreatic cancer by blocking crucial processes in cancer cells. He is leading an important trial testing whether combining drugs enhances their cancer-killing effect. Liverpool: Professor Paula Ghaneh is testing whether having chemotherapy before surgery improves survival for patients, and which drugs are best. She’s also looking for molecular signposts that might reveal who would benefit most from this treatment. Manchester: Dr Claus Jorgensen is studying the way pancreatic cancer cells communicate with healthy cells. He is hoping to identify key signals that help tumours grow and spread around the body. Working out how this goes awry in cancer might lead to new ways to treat the disease. Glasgow: Dr Jurre Kamphorst is investigating how pancreatic cancer interacts with surrounding cells and tissues, and what fuels its growth, to help find new approaches to target this cancer. Glasgow: Professor Jeff Evans is testing new drugs that make the tumour more sensitive to radiotherapy, to try and make treatments more effective for patients. July 2014 Find out more: download other research leaflets in this series at cruk.org/researchleaflets