Pancreatic Cancer Audit 2023 Launch

Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities

Period08 May 2023 → 09 May 2023

Media coverage

6

Media coverage

  • TitleNew NI audit into pancreatic cancer reveals continued increase in cases
    Degree of recognitionRegional
    Media name/outletQueen's University Belfast News Website
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date09/05/2023
    DescriptionThe first audit in over ten years into pancreatic cancer in Northern Ireland has revealed there has been an 86% increase in confirmed cases, rising from 152 in 2001 to 283 in 2020 since a previous audit was carried out in 2001.


    The audit published today, Tuesday 9 May, was funded by local pancreatic cancer charity NIPANC with the audit work undertaken by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) at Queen’s University Belfast in partnership with HPB clinical staff in the Belfast Trust.

    Its findings have prompted Mark Taylor, NI Director of the Royal College of Surgeons and Consultant Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancer Surgeon, to call for a strengthening of local pancreatic cancer services as ‘incidences are likely to continue to rise’ due to multifactorial reasons such as ‘increasing age, obesity and diabetes.’

    The audit measures the pathway of pancreatic cancer patients during 2019 and 2020 in secondary (hospital) care and is the first audit of pancreatic cancer services in the UK since the pandemic. It will help to inform the soon to be established pancreatic cancer audit in England.

    Key findings in addition to the startling increase in diagnosed cases include:

    Most patients are symptomatic at diagnosis (94%). The most common route to diagnosis is through emergency admission with the majority being diagnosed at an advanced stage (53%) highlighting the need for increased awareness of symptoms among the public and GPs to support early diagnosis
    During 2019-2020 access to essential PET-CT was low (17%) with patients waiting a median 44 days for a scan.
    Patients who had curative oncology as their first treatment waited a median of 72 days in 2019 and 79 days in 2020.
    Only 1% of patients were enrolled in clinical trials
    The audit also positively showed:

    Patients accessed a range of support services, including Clinical Nurse Specialist Support, both in secondary (hospital) care and in the community
    Virtually all patients were discussed at a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meeting prior to their first treatment; a key aspect of holistic, patient-centred care.
    Professor Mark Taylor, also a Trustee of NIPANC, said: “We can see on the ground, how pancreatic cancer referrals are increasing, and we must strengthen our services in response.

    “It is concerning the most common route to diagnosis was via emergency admissions (43%) and the majority of patients presented with advanced (Stage 4) cancer where the cancer has spread to a distant site. This underpins the importance of continuing in all our campaigning efforts to raise awareness of early signs and symptoms to enable timely diagnosis and treatment.”

    The audit also reveals urgent need for timely access to diagnostics such as CT-PET scans to ensure patients have the most appropriate staging investigations. Improvements are also required for treatment pathways to allow patients to be treated within 62 days of referral.

    Dr Damien Bennett, Interim Director of the NI Cancer Registry (NICR) at Queen’s University Belfast, added: “We also want to see better access to clinical trials for NI pancreatic cancer patients in addition to a strengthening of personalised and holistic care for those who face a diagnosis of the disease.

    “This audit shows that, unfortunately, most people with pancreatic cancer are still diagnosed with advanced disease, which leads to worse outcomes and poorer survival. Diagnosing pancreatic cancer at an earlier stage has a major impact on survival, with 52% of patients with early cancer (Stage 1) living for 1 year compared to only 6% for those with advanced cancer (Stage 4).

    “We found that only 1% of patients were enrolled in clinical trials. Better access to clinical trials for eligible pancreatic cancer patients should be provided.”

    Dr Damien Bennett added: “This audit by the NI Cancer Registry was only possible with the support of NIPANC, but for audits to be effective they need to be funded to repeat on a regular basis.”

    Sinéad Hawkins, Lead Author from the NI Cancer Registry (NICR) at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “This audit offers some hope for future pancreatic cancer patients with survival increasing significantly for patients who are offered tumour-reductive therapies such as surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy compared to those who are not: 52% vs. 7% surviving one year post diagnosis. Survival is higher still if patients undergo a resection of their tumour (one year survival of 76%).

    “Unfortunately, 40% of patients did not have a treatment plan to reduce their tumour in 2019, and this increased to 46% in 2020 during the pandemic. This audit also found the majority of patients presented with symptoms (94%) with the top five symptoms being abdominal pain, weight loss, jaundice, nausea/vomiting and decreased appetite. Despite pancreatic patients presenting mainly symptomatic the most common referral route to cancer services is via emergency services, with the majority being late stage at diagnosis.

    “If more patients can be diagnosed earlier and fitter, they may be able to receive tumour-reducing therapies and survive longer. This would require increased focus from the health agencies and wider stakeholders to increase awareness of pancreatic cancer symptoms and support earlier diagnosis reducing diagnoses at hospital emergency departments
    Producer/AuthorSian Devlin
    URLhttps://www.qub.ac.uk/News/Allnews/2023/NewNIauditintopancreaticcancerrevealscontinuedincreaseincases.html
    PersonsSinead Hawkins, Damien Bennett, Mark Taylor
  • Titlehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65528991
    Degree of recognitionRegional
    Media name/outletBBC News NI
    Media typeTelevision
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date09/05/2023
    DescriptionPancreatic cancer: Better services needed after audit reveals case rise
    Published
    9 May

    Most patients presented with the top five symptoms - abdominal pain, weight loss, jaundice, nausea/vomiting and decreased appetite
    By Marie-Louise Connolly & Kevin Sharkey
    BBC News NI
    A woman whose husband died from pancreatic cancer said a delay in his diagnosis meant he was unable to receive treatment.

    It comes as an audit revealed there had been an 86% increase in cases of pancreatic cancer over two decades.

    There were 283 confirmed cases in 2020, up from from 152 in 2001, when the last audit was carried out.

    Susan Cooke lost her then-husband Colin just over 10 years ago and said the audit was "important".

    It revealed patients were most commonly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer through hospital emergency departments.

    Despite visiting his GP and an A&E department, it wasn't until a follow up visit two weeks later that Colin was eventually diagnosed.

    "That delayed diagnosis meant that it was too late for any treatment," said Ms Cooke.

    The 45-year-old died 11 weeks after his diagnosis.

    Colin Cooke and Susan Cooke
    IMAGE SOURCE,SUSAN COOKE
    Image caption,
    Susan Cooke lost her husband Colin to pancreatic cancer just over 10 years ago
    The audit findings have led the NI director of the Royal College of Surgeons to call for "enhanced" services.

    Mark Taylor, who is a pancreatic cancer surgeon, said cases were likely to rise because of "increasing age, obesity and diabetes".

    "We can see on the ground how pancreatic cancer referrals are increasing and we must strengthen services in our response," Prof Taylor said.

    "It is concerning that the most common route to diagnosis was via emergency admissions and the majority of patients presented with advanced (stage four) cancer where the cancer has spread to a distant site."

    The audit is the first look at pancreatic cancer services in the UK since the pandemic.

    It was funded by the local pancreatic cancer charity NIPANC and supported by the NI Cancer Registry and Queen's University Belfast in partnership with clinical staff in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.

    Key findings include:

    Most patients - 94% - show symptoms at the diagnosis stage
    The most common route to diagnosis is through emergency admission - where most cases 53% are diagnosed at an advanced stage
    It highlights the need for increased awareness of symptoms among the public and GPs to support early diagnosis
    The majority of patients presented with the top five symptoms of abdominal pain, weight loss, jaundice, nausea/vomiting and decreased appetite
    During 2019-2020 access to essential PET-CT was low at 17%, with patients waiting on average 44 days for a scan
    Patients who had curative oncology as their first treatment waited a median of 72 days in 2019 and 79 days in 2020
    Only 1% of patients were enrolled in clinical trials
    'Secondary care wasn't smooth'
    Ms Cooke said the audit was important because it showed the number of people being diagnosed within emergency departments.

    She said more awareness from Colin and herself, as well as the medical professionals involved in his treatment, would have made a difference to his diagnosis.

    "A lot of the symptoms that come along on their own are very minor but when they're all put together they paint a different picture.

    "Being diagnosed in the emergency department, our journey through that secondary care was not smooth."

    She said she hoped the findings from the audit would inform efforts on awareness campaigns and support for families affected by the disease.

    "We're talking about it much more in Northern Ireland... ten years ago, when my husband was diagnosed, I didn't know anybody else," she added.

    A+E at hospital
    IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA
    Image caption,
    The audit found most patients are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer through emergency hospital admission
    On a more positive note, the audit revealed that patients accessed a range of support services including clinical nurse specialists.

    And virtually all the patients were discussed by a multi-disciplinary team meeting prior to their first treatment - a key aspect of holistic, patient-centred care.

    Dr Damien Bennett, interim director of the NI Cancer Registry, said patients needed better access to clinical trials.

    "This audit shows that, unfortunately, most people with pancreatic cancer are still diagnosed with advanced disease, which leads to worse outcomes and poorer survival," Dr Bennett added.

    The audit also revealed that 40% of patients did not have a treatment plan to reduce their tumour in 2019, a figure that increased to 46% in just over a year.

    If more people can be diagnosed earlier and when they are fitter, they might be able to receive tumour-reducing therapies and survive longer, it found.
    Producer/AuthorKevin Sharkey
    URLhttps://twitter.com/NIPANC_/status/1656051383110385664
    PersonsSinead Hawkins, Damien Bennett, Mark Taylor
  • TitlePancreatic cancer: Better services needed after audit reveals case rise Published 9 May
    Degree of recognitionRegional
    Media name/outletBBC News NI
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date09/05/2023
    DescriptionBy Marie-Louise Connolly & Kevin Sharkey
    BBC News NI
    A woman whose husband died from pancreatic cancer said a delay in his diagnosis meant he was unable to receive treatment.

    It comes as an audit revealed there had been an 86% increase in cases of pancreatic cancer over two decades.

    There were 283 confirmed cases in 2020, up from from 152 in 2001, when the last audit was carried out.

    Susan Cooke lost her then-husband Colin just over 10 years ago and said the audit was "important".

    It revealed patients were most commonly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer through hospital emergency departments.

    Despite visiting his GP and an A&E department, it wasn't until a follow up visit two weeks later that Colin was eventually diagnosed.

    "That delayed diagnosis meant that it was too late for any treatment," said Ms Cooke.

    The 45-year-old died 11 weeks after his diagnosis.

    Colin Cooke and Susan Cooke
    IMAGE SOURCE,SUSAN COOKE
    Image caption,
    Susan Cooke lost her husband Colin to pancreatic cancer just over 10 years ago
    The audit findings have led the NI director of the Royal College of Surgeons to call for "enhanced" services.

    Mark Taylor, who is a pancreatic cancer surgeon, said cases were likely to rise because of "increasing age, obesity and diabetes".

    "We can see on the ground how pancreatic cancer referrals are increasing and we must strengthen services in our response," Prof Taylor said.

    "It is concerning that the most common route to diagnosis was via emergency admissions and the majority of patients presented with advanced (stage four) cancer where the cancer has spread to a distant site."

    The audit is the first look at pancreatic cancer services in the UK since the pandemic.

    It was funded by the local pancreatic cancer charity NIPANC and supported by the NI Cancer Registry and Queen's University Belfast in partnership with clinical staff in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.

    Key findings include:

    Most patients - 94% - show symptoms at the diagnosis stage
    The most common route to diagnosis is through emergency admission - where most cases 53% are diagnosed at an advanced stage
    It highlights the need for increased awareness of symptoms among the public and GPs to support early diagnosis
    The majority of patients presented with the top five symptoms of abdominal pain, weight loss, jaundice, nausea/vomiting and decreased appetite
    During 2019-2020 access to essential PET-CT was low at 17%, with patients waiting on average 44 days for a scan
    Patients who had curative oncology as their first treatment waited a median of 72 days in 2019 and 79 days in 2020
    Only 1% of patients were enrolled in clinical trials
    'Secondary care wasn't smooth'
    Ms Cooke said the audit was important because it showed the number of people being diagnosed within emergency departments.

    She said more awareness from Colin and herself, as well as the medical professionals involved in his treatment, would have made a difference to his diagnosis.

    "A lot of the symptoms that come along on their own are very minor but when they're all put together they paint a different picture.

    "Being diagnosed in the emergency department, our journey through that secondary care was not smooth."

    She said she hoped the findings from the audit would inform efforts on awareness campaigns and support for families affected by the disease.

    "We're talking about it much more in Northern Ireland... ten years ago, when my husband was diagnosed, I didn't know anybody else," she added.

    A+E at hospital
    IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA
    Image caption,
    The audit found most patients are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer through emergency hospital admission
    On a more positive note, the audit revealed that patients accessed a range of support services including clinical nurse specialists.

    And virtually all the patients were discussed by a multi-disciplinary team meeting prior to their first treatment - a key aspect of holistic, patient-centred care.

    Dr Damien Bennett, interim director of the NI Cancer Registry, said patients needed better access to clinical trials.

    "This audit shows that, unfortunately, most people with pancreatic cancer are still diagnosed with advanced disease, which leads to worse outcomes and poorer survival," Dr Bennett added.

    The audit also revealed that 40% of patients did not have a treatment plan to reduce their tumour in 2019, a figure that increased to 46% in just over a year.

    If more people can be diagnosed earlier and when they are fitter, they might be able to receive tumour-reducing therapies and survive longer, it found.
    Producer/AuthorMarie-Louise Connolly & Kevin Sharkey
    URLhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65528991?at_ptr_name=twitter&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_format=link&at_link_type=web_link&at_link_origin=BBCNewsNI&at_link_id=6221EDEE-EE2B-11ED-8C7B-9E5CAD7C7D13&at_campaign_type=owned&at_medium=social&at_campaign=Social_Flow
    PersonsSinead Hawkins, Damien Bennett, Mark Taylor
  • TitlePancreatic cancer rates soar by 86% in Northern Ireland
    Degree of recognitionRegional
    Media name/outletBelfast Telegraph
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date09/05/2023
    DescriptionThe number of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Northern Ireland has soared by 86% over the past decade.
    A new audit has revealed there were 283 confirmed cases in 2020 compare to 152 in 2001.

    The majority of patients were diagnosed after attending emergency departments with advanced stage four symptoms.

    Regional director of the Royal College of Surgeons Prof Mark Taylor is calling for "enhanced" services to combat the increasing number of cases.

    "We can see on the ground how pancreatic cancer referrals are increasing and we must strengthen services in our response," he told BBC News NI.

    "It is concerning that the most common route to diagnosis was via emergency admissions and the majority of patients presented with advanced cancer where the cancer has spread to a distant site."

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    The pancreatic cancer surgeon warned cases are likely to rise again and blamed "increasing age, obesity and diabetes" as contributory factors.


    The audit – funded by local pancreatic cancer charity NIPANC in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust – marks the first report into pancreatic cancer services in the UK since the pandemic.

    It shows that 94% of patients show symptoms at the diagnosis stage with more than half of cases detected through emergency admission and at an advanced stage.

    During 2019-2020 access to essential PET-CT was low at 17%, with patients waiting on average 44 days for a scan

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    Patients who had curative oncology as their first treatment waited an average of 72 days in 2019 and 79 days in 2020

    Just 1% of patients were enrolled in clinical trials

    Prof Taylor said the report reveals an average of between 270 and 280 people have been diagnosed in each of the past five years amid a global 55% rise in cases.

    He said 38% higher incidents occur within the most deprived communities here as he urged GPs and the public to be aware of the key signs of the disease dubbed “the silent killer”.

    Patients normally report with jaundice after overlooking more subtle symptoms early on.

    They include; unexplained weight loss, development of unexplained diabetes, unresolved upper abdominal pain and upper back pain
    Producer/AuthorBrett Campbell
    URLhttps://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/health/pancreatic-cancer-rates-soar-by-86-in-northern-ireland/516846098.html
    PersonsSinead Hawkins
  • TitlePancreatic cancer: NI cases up 86%, audit reveals
    Degree of recognitionRegional
    Media name/outletNews Letter
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date09/05/2023
    Producer/AuthorHelen McGurk
    URLhttps://www.newsletter.co.uk/health/pancreatic-cancer-ni-cases-up-86-audit-reveals-4135775
    PersonsSinead Hawkins
  • TitlePancreatic cancer services in north must be strengthened as study shows dramatic rise in cases
    Degree of recognitionRegional
    Media name/outletIrish News
    Media typePrint
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date08/05/2023
    DescriptionCASES of pancreatic cancer in the north have risen by 86 percent over two decades, new research has found.

    An audit published on Tuesday found there were 283 confirmed cases of the disease in Northern Ireland in 2020, compared to 152 in 2001.

    The findings have prompted a call by the director of the Royal College of Surgeons in NI for strengthening of services to combat the disease, as cases are "likely to continue to rise" in the years ahead.

    The increase is thought to be related to factors including an ageing population, obesity and rising cases of diabetes.

    The new audit was funded by pancreatic cancer charity NIPANC, with work on the study carried out by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR), and Queen’s University in partnership with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.

    The audit, which examined cases during 2019 and 2020, is the first on pancreatic cancer to be published in the UK since the Covid pandemic, and its findings will be used in an upcoming audit of cases in England.

    The majority of cases in the study - 53 percent - were diagnosed at an advanced stage, while patients faced on average a 44 day wait for an essential PET-CT scan.

    Royal College of Surgeons NI director, Professor Mark Taylor, who is a consultant hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer surgeon and NIPANC trustee, said: “We can see on the ground, how pancreatic cancer referrals are increasing, and we must strengthen our services in response.

    “It is concerning the most common route to diagnosis was via emergency admissions, at 43 percent, and the majority of patients presented with advanced (Stage 4) cancer where the cancer has spread to a distant site.


    "This underpins the importance of continuing in all our campaigning efforts to raise awareness of early signs and symptoms to enable timely diagnosis and treatment.”

    The audit highlights the need for improvements to allow for better access to diagnostics such as scans, and for patients to be treated within 62 days of referral.

    Dr Damien Bennett, NICR interim director, said: “We also want to see better access to clinical trials for NI pancreatic cancer patients in addition to a strengthening of personalised and holistic care for those who face a diagnosis of the disease.

    “This audit shows that, unfortunately, most people with pancreatic cancer are still diagnosed with advanced disease, which leads to worse outcomes and poorer survival.”

    Dr Bennett added: “This audit by the NI Cancer Registry was only possible with the support of NIPANC, but for audits to be effective they need to be funded to repeat on a regular basis.”

    Sinéad Hawkins, the audit's lead author said: “If more patients can be diagnosed earlier and fitter, they may be able to receive tumour-reducing therapies and survive longer. This would require increased focus from the health agencies and wider stakeholders to increase awareness of pancreatic cancer symptoms and support earlier diagnosis reducing diagnoses at hospital emergency departments.”

    The Department of Health said it welcomes the audit, adding that the Cancer Strategy for NI 2022-2032, launched last year, has "the vision to ensure everyone in Northern Ireland has equitable and timely access to the most effective, evidence -based referral, diagnosis, treatment, support and person-centred cancer care".

    However, the department has warned that delivering the strategy's plan remains "extremely challenging" given restrictions following the recent budget, and a spokesperson said the department was facing a funding gap of around £732m.

    They added that two new Rapid Diagnosis Centres in Newtownabbey and Dungannon were also providing pathways for earlier cancer diagnosis.

    Read more: Time matters in fight against 'silent' pancreatic cancer
    Producer/AuthorPaul Ainsworth
    URLhttps://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2023/05/08/news/pancreatic_cancer_services_in_north_must_be_strengthened_as_study_shows_dramatic_rise_in_cases-3263589/?param=ds441rif44T
    PersonsSinead Hawkins, Damien Bennett, Mark Taylor

Media contributions

1

Media contributions

  • TitleNew Northern Ireland Pancreatic Cancer Audit
    Degree of recognitionRegional
    Media name/outletNIPANC charity webiste
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date09/05/2023
    DescriptionLeading Surgeon Calls For Enhanced Pancreatic Cancer Services As New NI Audit Of The Disease Reveals Continued Increase In Cases

    The first audit in over ten years into pancreatic cancer in Northern Ireland has revealed there has been an 86% increase in confirmed cases, rising from 152 in 2001 to 283 in 2020 since a previous audit was carried out in 2001.


    The audit published today, Tuesday, May 9 was funded by local pancreatic cancer charity NIPANC with the audit work undertaken by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR), Queen’s University Belfast in partnership with HPB clinical staff in the Belfast Trust.


    Its findings have prompted Mark Taylor, NI Director of the Royal College of Surgeons and Consultant Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancer Surgeon to call for a strengthening of local pancreatic cancer services as ‘incidences are likely to continue to rise’ due to multifactorial reasons such as ‘increasing age, obesity and diabetes.’


    The audit measures the pathway of pancreatic cancer patients during 2019 and 2020 in secondary (hospital) care and is the first audit of pancreatic cancer services in the UK since the pandemic. It will help to inform the soon to be established pancreatic cancer audit in England.


    Key findings in addition to the startling increase in diagnosed cases include:

    Most patients are symptomatic at diagnosis (94%). The most common route to diagnosis is through emergency admission with the majority being diagnosed at an advanced stage (53%) highlighting the need for increased awareness of symptoms among the public and GPs to support early diagnosis

    During 2019-2020 access to essential PET-CT was low (17%) with patients waiting a median 44 days for a scan.

    Patients who had curative oncology as their first treatment waited a median of 72 days in 2019 and 79 days in 2020.

    Only 1% of patients were enrolled in clinical trials

    The audit also positively showed:

    Patients accessed a range of support services, including Clinical Nurse Specialist Support, both in secondary (hospital) care and in the community

    Virtually all patients were discussed at a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meeting prior to their first treatment; a key aspect of holistic, patient-centred care.

    Professor Mark Taylor, also a Trustee of NIPANC said: “We can see on the ground, how pancreatic cancer referrals are increasing, and we must strengthen our services in response.

    “It is concerning the most common route to diagnosis was via emergency admissions (43%) and the majority of patients presented with advanced (Stage 4) cancer where the cancer has spread to a distant site. This underpins the importance of continuing in all our campaigning efforts to raise awareness of early signs and symptoms to enable timely diagnosis and treatment.”


    The audit also reveals urgent need for timely access to diagnostics such as CT-PET scans to ensure patients have the most appropriate staging investigations. Improvements are also required for treatment pathways to allow patients to be treated within 62 days of referral.


    Dr Damien Bennett, Interim Director of the NI Cancer Registry (NICR), added: “We also want to see better access to clinical trials for NI pancreatic cancer patients in addition to a strengthening of personalised and holistic care for those who face a diagnosis of the disease.”

    “This audit shows that, unfortunately, most people with pancreatic cancer are still diagnosed with advanced disease, which leads to worse outcomes and poorer survival. Diagnosing pancreatic cancer at an earlier stage has a major impact on survival, with 52% of patients with early cancer (Stage 1) living for 1 year compared to only 6% for those with advanced cancer (Stage 4).”


    “We found that only 1% of patients were enrolled in clinical trials. Better access to clinical trials for eligible pancreatic cancer patients should be provided.”


    Dr Damien Bennett added: “This audit by the NI Cancer Registry was only possible with the support of NIPANC, but for audits to be effective they need to be funded to repeat on a regular basis.”


    Sinéad Hawkins, Lead Author said: “This audit offers some hope for future pancreatic cancer patients with survival increasing significantly for patients who are offered tumour-reductive therapies such as surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy compared to those who are not: 52% vs. 7% surviving one year post diagnosis. Survival is higher still if patients undergo a resection of their tumour (one year survival of 76%).”


    “Unfortunately, 40% of patients did not have a treatment plan to reduce their tumour in 2019, and this increased to 46% in 2020 during the pandemic. This audit also found the majority of patients presented with symptoms (94%) with the top five symptoms being abdominal pain, weight loss, jaundice, nausea/vomiting and decreased appetite. Despite pancreatic patients presenting mainly symptomatic the most common referral route to cancer services is via emergency services, with the majority being late-stage at diagnosis.“


    “If more patients can be diagnosed earlier and fitter, they may be able to receive tumour-reducing therapies and survive longer. This would require increased focus from the Health agencies and wider stakeholders to increase awareness of pancreatic cancer symptoms and support earlier diagnosis reducing diagnoses at hospital emergency departments.”


    For further information contact: Una Carlin, Carlin Creative Events and Communications
    Producer/AuthorUna Carlin
    URLhttps://www.nipanc.org/post/new-northern-ireland-pancreatic-cancer-audit
    PersonsSinead Hawkins

Other

TitlePancreatic Cancer Audit 2023 Launch
LocationMater Infirmorum Hospital, Belfast, United Kingdom
Period09 May 2023 → 09 May 2023
Linkhttps://twitter.com/BelfastTrust/status/1655883918938128384/photo/1

Keywords

  • Pancreatic
  • Cancer
  • Audit
  • launch
  • BBC
  • Irish news
  • Belfast Telegraph
  • News letter
  • TV
  • NIPANC