More Australians than ever before will be claimed by pancreatic cancer – a disease that is now, for the first time, acknowledged to be a common cancer, new research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) suggests.
Pancreatic cancer has a devastatingly low five-year survival rate of only 12.5 per cent. The disease is predicted to claim more lives than breast cancer this year (an estimated 3,669 people) and has the lowest survival rate of all common cancers. Over 4,500 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and 80 per cent of patients will die within 12 months.
“The deadly outcomes in pancreatic cancer result in limited visibility and reduced public awareness, and consequently, many people do not realise that pancreatic cancer is now a common cancer,” says Michelle Stewart, CEO of PanKind, the Australian Pancreatic Cancer Foundation.
“In contrast, more high-profile cancers experience survival rates of over 90 per cent, while for pancreatic cancer the survival rate is only 12 per cent, which drops alarmingly to just 6.8 per cent for people who live in regional Australia,” Ms Stewart says.
“With the disease now acknowledged to be a common cancer, there has never been a more critical time to call for increased focus and funding.”
Miss World Australia finalist, Tirah Ciampa from Hobart, was diagnosed in February this year, but lived with the symptoms for an entire year as they progressively worsened. The 27-year-old’s weight plummeted – from 58kg to 49kg – and she suffered bouts of excruciating pain radiating through her abdomen and back, which she initially passed off as “just cramps”.
“When I was diagnosed, I had no idea what pancreatic cancer was – I’d never heard of the disease before. When doctors discovered the tumour, it had already eaten half of my organ,” Ms Ciampa says.
“People need to understand pancreatic cancer can affect anyone – it doesn’t discriminate. When I started researching more about the disease, I realised how lucky I was to have it detected as early as I did, and this saved my life.”
PanKind’s 2021 Consumer Awareness Survey found only one in 10 Australians are aware that pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in Australia.
The majority of Australians (53 per cent) are not aware of the signs or symptoms of pancreatic cancer. These include:
- Abdominal and mid-back pain
- Unexplained weight loss
- Yellow skin or eyes
- Change in stool
- New-onset diabetes
- Digestive problems
- Loss of appetite
- Mood change
- Blood clots
- Itchiness of the skin
- Tiredness
To learn more, visit pankind.org.au
PanKind will hold its first Put Your Foot Down Canberra walk on Sunday 19 November to raise awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer.
The walk sees the community unite and dress in the cause colour purple, raising awareness and funds for research to help triple the survival rate by 2030.
More details can be found at canberra.putyourfootdown.org.au
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