Is screening available for pancreatic cancer?
Screening aims to identify people who will get a disease before they get any symptoms. The aim is to pick up cancers early, which means treatment may be more successful. At the moment, there is no screening programme in the UK for pancreatic cancer because there isn’t a test for pancreatic cancer that is reliable and accurate enough.
People with a family history of pancreatic cancer may be able to have monitoring to pick up any changes to the pancreas as early as possible. Find out more
Why is pancreatic cancer hard to diagnose?
Pancreatic cancer can be hard to diagnose. This is because it often doesn’t cause symptoms in the early stages, and symptoms may come and go to begin with.
Do I need to see my GP?
If you have symptoms that could be pancreatic cancer, you should see your GP or contact NHS 111.
Symptoms vary from person to person and you may not have all of them. Symptoms may include indigestion, pain in your tummy or back, changes to your poo, losing weight without meaning to, or recently diagnosed diabetes. Some people get jaundice (yellow skin or eyes, and itchy skin).
Having these symptoms doesn’t always mean that you have pancreatic cancer, but you should get them checked out.
- If you have jaundice, go to your GP or A&E straight away.
- If you have any of the other symptoms and they don’t improve, go to your GP or contact NHS 111.
