Deadliest common cancer in Britain
Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer in Britain and has seen very little improvement to survival rates in over 50 years. Former England football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, 75, revealed on Thursday that he is terminally ill with the disease and will be lucky to survive another year.
Keeping his diagnosis secret
Eriksson kept his diagnosis secret for a year to spend happy times with his family. He said he was diagnosed by chance while being checked over by doctors after a stroke.
A low survival rate
Difficulty spotting the condition means the survival rate is low because treatment is often too late. Just seven per cent of patients survive for five years or more after being told they have the disease. This makes it the deadliest of the 22 most common cancers in Britain and the second deadliest overall, after mesothelioma. Three in four pancreatic cancer patients - 76 per cent - die within the first year.
The need for more research and funding
Diana Jupp, CEO of Pancreatic Cancer UK, expressed the need for more research and funding. She stated that there has been an unacceptable lack of progress in pancreatic cancer, and too little money has been invested in research and early diagnosis. Jupp called on the government to commit to investing £35 million in pancreatic cancer and prioritize a disease that has been overlooked for too long.
Contact information
Pancreatic Cancer UK's support line staffed by nurses is on 0808 801 0707 or for more information visit: www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/support.
