Pancreatic cancer is known by many as a "silent killer" as its symptoms can be notoriously difficult to notice - until too late. But after US talk show host Jerry Springer died from the disease aged 79 last week, after being diagnosed just a few months ago, more and more people are looking to find out what symptoms they should be looking out for.
According to Cancer Research UK, pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest 10-year survival rates of any cancer - with just 5% of people surviving for more than a decade after their diagnosis.
Symptoms are especially difficult to spot in their early stages, reports The Mirror and our sister site CoventryLive. The most serious signs of the disease are a yellowing of the skin (jaundice) and bleeding in the stomach or intestine - but researchers have now confirmed two more, lesser-known symptoms.
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Researchers at Oxford University have found that "increased thirst" and "dark yellow urine" can both be signs of pancreatic cancer. Dr Weiqi Liao, a data scientist at the university added: "When pancreatic cancer is diagnosed earlier, patients have a higher chance of survival. 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."
An expert on cancer, consultant medical oncologist at a hospital in Cambridge, Dr Pippa Corrie added: "Being aware of the early symptoms of pancreatic cancer is crucial if we are to diagnose patients earlier and improve pancreatic cancer survival. 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."
Further symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer
As reported by the NHS on its official website
Symptoms of pancreatic cancer can include:
- the whites of your eyes or your skin turn yellow (jaundice), and you may also have 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
The NHS adds: "If you have another condition like irritable bowel syndrome, you may get symptoms like these regularly. You might 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."
Pancreatic cancer is more common in people aged 75 and over and is rare in under-40s. People can lower their chance of developing the cancer by reducing their intake of processed meat, not being overweight, not smoking, and drinking less alcohol, the NHS adds.
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