People have been urged to take note of two earlier signs of pancreatic cancer. The cancer, described as a 'silent disease', has one of the lowest 10-year survival rates of any cancer.
It has made the headlines in recent days following the death of US talk show host Jerry Springer, who died just months after being diagnosed with the disease. Due to the disease’s mortality rate, knowing the symptoms, even those one might miss, is crucial, reports the Mirror Online.
According to experts, pancreatic cancer is known as a silent disease due to symptoms typically not showing up in the early stages. But researchers have identified two unrecognised early symptoms that people can look out for and will help doctors better diagnose the disease.
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Both yellowing of the skin (jaundice) and bleeding in the stomach or intestine were seen as the two most serious symptoms associated with the disease. Researchers have found two other lesser-known and unrecognised warning signs of pancreatic cancer are increased thirst and dark yellow urine.
These symptoms were identified in a study last year “When pancreatic cancer is diagnosed earlier, patients have a higher chance of survival,” said Dr Weiqi Liao, data scientist at the University of Oxford.
“It is possible to diagnose patients when they visit their GP, but both patients and GPs need to be aware of the symptoms associated with pancreatic cancer.”
“Being aware of the early symptoms of pancreatic cancer is crucial if we are to diagnose patients earlier and improve pancreatic cancer survival,” added Dr Pippa Corrie, chair of the pancreatic workstream of the NCRI Upper Gastrointestinal Group and Consultant Medical Oncologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, UK.
“This research could help GPs and their patients know more about the signs of pancreatic cancer. It’s vital that people speak to their GP if they notice these symptoms.”
List of symptoms
There were a long list of other symptoms that were also found in the study last year. They included:
- Problems swallowing
- Diarrhoea
- Change in bowel habits
- Vomiting
- Indigestion
- Abdominal mass
- Abdominal pain
- Weight loss
- Constipation
- Fat in stool
- Abdominal swelling
- Nausea
- Flatulence
- Heartburn
- Fever
- Tiredness
- Appetite loss
- Itching
- Back pain
Pancreatic cancer is more likely for those aged over 75 and is not common for people under 40, according to the NHS.
People can reduce their chances of getting the cancer by cutting down on red and processed meat, not being overweight, not smoking and drinking less alcohol.
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