Pancreatic cancer is one of the most fatal and aggressive forms of cancer. It is the 4th leading cause of cancer death in the United States yet constitutes less than 2% of the National Cancer Institute’s
federal research funding.
Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis. It is one of the few cancers for which survival has not improved substantially over the past 25 years. 75% of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first year of their diagnosis and only 5% survive more than 5 years. In 2008, an estimated 37,680 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and 34,290 will die from the disease.
There is no type of detection test, therefore by the time someone has symptoms and goes to the doctor and receives the diagnosis-the disease is quite advanced. Most people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are told they have less than one year to live. For people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, sadly, the survival rate is very low. We need more funds and awareness for research and clinical trials before the outlook for people with pancreatic cancer improves.
Source: www.cancerhelp.org and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
