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In the UK, almost 10,000 people are newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year. That is 26 people each day.  Most patients die within six months of diagnosis and just five percent survive for more than five years.

We are Pancreatic Cancer Action, a UK charity that is determined to save lives and improve the quality of survival for all those affected by pancreatic cancer.  Our primary aim is to improve early diagnosis.

Ali Stunt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in August 2007 age 41. She is one of only ten per cent of patients each year diagnosed in time for surgery, which is currently the only potential for a cure. Appalled by the low five year survival rates, Ali helped set up the UK’s first Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Week in 2009 and went on to found Pancreatic Cancer Action in 2010. 

Ali is now officially among only one per cent of patients who survives pancreatic cancer for more than ten years.  This in itself highlights the importance of Pancreatic Cancer Action’s work to improve survival rates.  

Funding innovative research is a very important part of what we do so that we can achieve earlier diagnosis. Our Early Diagnosis Challenge Award funds projects to find innovative ways of diagnosing pancreatic cancer. We also are continually working on our symptom study and our enhanced recovery project.

While no early detection test exists, we believe that raising awareness of the symptoms and the disease is vital to help improve survival rates, which have stayed in the single digits for nearly fifty years. We raise awareness in many ways including launching national advertising campaigns, developing campaigns that can help our supporters, promoting our flagship awareness campaign Turn it Purple™, exhibiting at medical and public conferences, and have regular coverage in the national media. 

We provide FREE accredited online training for medical professionals including GPs, hospital doctors and pharmacists.  The online training aims to help them to spot the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer in patients to encourage early diagnosis, as well as educate them on diagnosis and management of the disease.  Our eight FREE patient information booklets are a valuable resource for patients and their families and are available to order online or over the phone.