World Pancreatic
Cancer Day
17 November 2022
On World Pancreatic Cancer Day, at DiCE we raise awareness of pancreatic cancer, the symptoms, and risk factors, and the urgent need for earlier detection and new research. We need to take action to increase the five-year survival rate of this deadly disease.
The time to act is now.
Facts
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths in the EU, it has the lowest rate of survival amongst all cancers across Europe killing about 92% of patients within 5 years of their diagnosis1. In 2018 it took the lives of approximately 128 000 Europeans, while another 132 600 were diagnosed2.
It ranks second – after colon cancer -– in incidence and costs among digestive cancers, with the total costs reaching €7 billion in Europe. One of the major reasons why pancreatic cancer is associated with such poor outcomes is because it is usually diagnosed at a late stage, 80% of patients already have tumors that are diagnosed in a stage when it is too late to be cured. The 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 9%.
Investment in research for effective targeted therapies and data collection is lacking.
1. Minicozzi P, Cassetti T, Vener C, et al.. Analysis of incidence, mortality and survival for pancreatic and biliary tract cancers across Europe, with assessment of influence of revised European age standardisation on estimates. Cancer Epidemiol 2018;55:52–60. 10.1016/j.canep.2018.04.01
2. Ferlay J, Colombet M, Soerjomataram I, et al.. Cancer incidence and mortality patterns in Europe: estimates for 40 countries and 25 major cancers in 2018. Eur J Cancer 2018;103:356–87. 10.1016/j.ejca.2018.07.005
Patients Stories
Anders
My Journey with Pancreatic Cancer, five years later… Hello, my name is Anders Bovin, I am 80 years old, and these days I spend my time between Sw...
Radek
Hello, my name is Radek. I would like to share my story with you about living with pancreatic cancer. It began with the onset of jaundice that made...
Patrycja
Patrysza spoke about her journey with pancreatic cancer at our Masterclass 2021 – she shared the importance of mental health for her life with th...
Eva
Eva shares her experiences with pancreatic cancer and the importance of staying physically fit throughout the process – from diagnosis throug...
