November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, a global initiative dedicated to raising awareness of this devastating disease, which has the lowest survival rate of all common cancers.
World Pancreatic Cancer Day on Thursday 20th November brings together communities worldwide to highlight better detection and outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients.
The Urgent Need for Change in Australia
Pancreatic cancer remains a critical health challenge in Australia:
- Diagnosis Rate: An estimated 4,825 new cases of pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed in Australia in 2025.
- Late Detection: The vast majority of cases are diagnosed at an advanced, often inoperable stage, which is the primary reason for the low survival rate. The 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer has increased but remains critically low at approximately 14%.
- Mortality: It is estimated to be the third leading cause of cancer death in Australia in 2025.
Driving Progress: Research and The National Roadmap
In response to the growing impact of this disease, the Australian Government developed the National Pancreatic Cancer Roadmap. This plan sets out areas for collective action and shared priorities to improve care, experience, and outcomes for patients, with a strong focus on early detection and improving treatment.
The Garvan Institute of Medical Research brings together the expertise of clinicians and researchers working together on innovated studies with the aim to improve detection and outcome/to accelerate innovated pancreatic cancer investigations.
- Investigating genetic changes and prognostic biomarkers.
- Deepening the understanding of the tumour microenvironment, particularly the scar-like tissue that protects the cancer from drugs.
- Identifying and trialling new combination therapies. Recent breakthroughs include research into a metabolic molecule that drives cancer spread and testing novel drug combinations that breaks down the tough ‘fibrotic’ tissue surrounding tumours to enhance chemotherapy effectiveness. Clinical trials are underway.
Further information on the pancreatic cancer research at the Garvan Institute can be found here.
Go Purple for Awarness
To mark Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, iconic landmarks across Australia will light up purple to advocate for increased awareness, with a focus on early detection and a better future for those affected by the disease.
For further information on pancreatic cancer, including symptoms, risk factors, and support services, please visit the relevant awareness organization websites.
PanKind, Pancreatic Cancer Australia
. Know the Symptoms. Early detection matters. Click to enlarge. With thanks to PanKind.
Front page image by Vecteezy.com