'Silent cancer' symptoms can be confused with other common conditions

It's often called the "silent cancer" because its symptoms can be vague or in common with many other, often harmless, health conditions.

But the late diagnosis of pancreatic cancer can cause significant harm, with Cancer Research UK estimating that only five out of every 100 people survive for 10 years or more after diagnosis. One of the reasons for the poor outlook for pancreatic cancer is that it is often diagnosed late, when the cancer is quite advanced.

Kate Sweeney, head of clinical negligence at law firm Simpson Millar, is urging everyone to educate themselves on the symptoms of pancreatic cancer and seek medical advice if they have concerns. Kate said: “Pancreatic cancer is often called a ‘silent cancer’ because its symptoms can be vague or mistaken for other conditions. Early diagnosis is critical for improving outcomes – a late diagnosis often means that treatment options are limited: seven in ten people do not receive active treatment due to late-stage detection.”

Pancreatic cancer is the tenth most common cancer in the UK, with 30 people diagnosed every day. Nearly half (47%) of cases each year are in patients aged 75 and over, highlighting the need for vigilance as we age. Early diagnosis is key, but isn’t it always possible.

What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?

Pancreatic cancer may not have any symptoms, or the symptoms might be hard to spot. The NHS says symptoms of pancreatic cancer can include:

• the whites of your eyes or your skin turn yellow (jaundice), plus itchy skin, darker pee and paler poo than usual

• loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to

• feeling tired or having no energy

• a high temperature, or feeling hot or shivery

Other symptoms can affect your digestion, such as:

• feeling or being sick

• diarrhoea or constipation, or other changes in your poo

• pain at the top part of your tummy and your back, which may feel worse when you're eating or lying down and better when you lean forward

• symptoms of indigestion, such as feeling bloated

Of course, if you have another condition like irritable bowel syndrome, you may get symptoms like these regularly and you may even find you get used to them. But it's important to be checked by a GP if your symptoms change, get worse or do not feel normal for you.

Kate Sweeney at Simpson Millar says: "Pancreatic cancer is challenging to diagnose early, but doing so is crucial to improving survival rates. Misdiagnosis can prevent early detection if medical professionals don’t associate your symptoms with pancreatic cancer. Sometimes, your symptoms can be identified but diagnosed as a milder condition. For example, coeliac disease, biliary stricture (narrowing of the bile duct) or hepatocellular carcinoma (a common type of liver cancer)."

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She added that patients should stay informed about symptoms and contact their GP if they experience any of the signs of pancreatic cancer: “Over a third of people in the UK won’t contact their GP surgery because of long waiting times, according to some of our most recent research. People must continue to seek medical help despite this, as timely intervention can provide more effective treatment options and a better quality of life for patients.”

Survival for all stages of pancreatic cancer

There are no UK-wide statistics available for all stages of pancreatic cancer. And there are many variables to consider when assessing survival rates, including age and the stage at which the illness was detected. However, generally for adults with pancreatic cancer in England, Cancer Research UK puts the survival rates as follows:

• almost 30 out of every 100 (almost 30%) survive their cancer for 1 year or more after they are diagnosed

• almost 10 out of every 100 (almost 10%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more

• it is estimated that only 5 out of every 100 (5%) will survive their cancer for 10 years or more after diagnosis

Cancer Research UK says: "One reason for the poor outlook for pancreatic cancer is that it is often diagnosed late. The cancer is very often quite advanced. Only around 10 in 100 people (around 10%) can have surgery to remove pancreatic cancer, which gives the best chance of cure."