Speak to our specialist nurses
We know that these statistics are frightening. You can speak to our nurses on our Support Line to get support and find out more about prognosis.
Being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer can feel overwhelming. You probably have lots of questions and worries. People often want to know how long you can live with inoperable pancreatic cancer, and what happens if the cancer can’t be removed.
The prognosis will be different for each person, and depends on several things. These include how far the cancer has spread, your general health, and what treatments you can have .
Deciding whether to find out your prognosis
Finding out about your prognosis is a personal decision, and it’s up to you whether you do. If you decide you do want to know, speak to your doctor at the hospital. They won’t be able to tell you exactly what will happen. But they can give you an idea of what to expect.
You may decide you do not want to know, and your doctors will respect this. Sometimes your family members might feel differently. If your family want to know the prognosis and you don’t, with your permission they can speak to your medical team separately.
There is a lot of information about pancreatic cancer online and not all of it is accurate or relevant to you. So it’s important to speak to your doctor about your own situation.
Questions you may want to ask your doctor or nurse
- What are my treatment options?
- How long do I have left to live?
- How accurate is my prognosis?
- Will having treatment mean I live longer? Are there any risks?
- Should I get a second opinion?
- I don’t want to know my prognosis, but can you tell me how my cancer will change?
- What symptoms will I have? How can symptoms be managed?
- What difference will it make to my quality of life if I decide to have chemotherapy?
- What happens if I don’t have chemotherapy?
- Is there anything else I can do to help me live longer?
- If I don’t want to know my prognosis but my family do, can you speak to them in confidence, if I give my permission?
How are survival rates measured?
Some people want to know about survival rates for pancreatic cancer. Survival rates are averages based on large groups of people with pancreatic cancer. They can’t tell you what will happen to you. But if you do want to know more about survival rates, you can click the links below.
You may find these statistics frightening or upsetting, so think carefully before looking at this information. You should also speak to your doctor about your own prognosis.
These statistics are for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, which is the most common type of pancreatic cancer. There is another type of cancer in the pancreas, called pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. If you have been diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer, speak to your doctor about your prognosis, as the statistics are different. The charity Neuroendocrine Cancer UK has more information about diagnosis, treatments and living with neuroendocrine cancers.
What do one year and five year survival mean?
The terms “one year survival” and “five year survival” mean the proportion of people who are still alive one year and five years after their cancer diagnosis. It doesn’t mean that this is how long you will live.
What are the survival rates for all pancreatic cancers?
Five year survival for all pancreatic cancers (including all stages) in the UK is 7%. This means that 7 out of 100 people are alive, five years after their diagnosis. The survival statistics are low for pancreatic cancer compared to other cancers. This is partly because pancreatic cancer is hard to diagnose. Many people are diagnosed at a late stage, when the cancer has spread and surgery to remove the cancer is not possible.
What are the survival rates for locally advanced pancreatic cancer?
One year survival for stage 3 pancreatic cancer in England is 36%. This means that 36 people out of 100 are still alive after one year. Stage 3 cancer is usually locally advanced cancer but it may occasionally be borderline resectable cancer.
What are the treatments for locally advanced cancer?
If you have locally advanced cancer, the cancer has started to spread, which means that surgery is not usually possible. You may be able to have chemotherapy on its own or together with radiotherapy (chemoradiotherapy). This aims to shrink the cancer and slow down its growth. For a small number of people, these treatments may shrink the cancer enough to make surgery to remove the cancer possible.
Read more about the treatment options for locally advanced cancer.
What are the survival rates for advanced pancreatic cancer?
The one year survival for stage 4 pancreatic cancer in England is 8%. This means 8 out of 100 people will be alive, one year after their diagnosis. Stage 4 cancer is known as advanced or metastatic cancer. This means the cancer has spread outside the pancreas to other parts of the body, and surgery to remove it isn’t possible. Advanced cancer can sometimes grow and spread quickly.
Can advanced pancreatic cancer be treated?
If you are well enough for treatment, you may be offered chemotherapy. Chemotherapy will not cure the cancer, but it may help you to live longer.
If you have symptoms from the cancer there are also treatments for these. A specialist palliative care team or supportive care team can help manage symptoms. They also provide emotional and practical support. They can help you live as long and as comfortably as possible, and plan for the future. They will also offer support to your family.
Read more about treatments for advanced cancer.
Remember that these statistics are general figures. If you want to know your own prognosis, speak to your doctor about this.
Speak to our nurses
What happens if pancreatic cancer can’t be removed?
If you can’t have surgery, you may be able to have treatments to try to control the cancer, such as chemotherapy. Your medical team will talk to you about your treatment options. The aim of treatment will be to control the growth of your cancer and help you live longer. If you have symptoms, there are also treatments to help manage these.
Read more about treatments for inoperable cancer.
"I think the most difficult aspect of dealing with pancreatic cancer is the uncertainty that inevitably comes with it. But all of this has brought my family closer together."
Read other people's stories
Read about other people’s experiences of being diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer, having treatment and dealing with symptoms.
References
We have listed some of the references to the sources used to write this information. If you would like the full list of references, email us at publications@pancreaticcancer.org.uk
- CONCORD Working Group. Global surveillance of trends in cancer survival 2000-14 (CONCORD-3): analysis of individual records for 37,513,025 patients diagnosed with one of 18 cancers from 322 population-based registries in 71 countries. Lancet. 2018 Mar 17;391(10125):1023-1075. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)33326-3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5879496/
- Get Data Out. National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), NHS England [online] Available at: Get Data Out
- Chen Z, Lv Y, Li H, Diao R, Zhou J, Yu T. Meta-analysis of FOLFIRINOX-based neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Medicine 2021;100(3):E24068. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000024068
- Xu X, Wu Q, Wang Z, Zheng S, Ge K, Jia C. Meta-analysis of FOLFIRINOX regimen as the first-line chemotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer. Clin Exp Med. 2019;19(1):149-157. doi: 10.1007/s10238-018-0540-3
- Chin V et al. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018.
- Zhang B, Zhou F, Hong J, et al. The role of FOLFIRINOX in metastatic pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis. World J Surg Oncol 2021;19(1):182. doi: 10.1186/s12957-021-02291-6
Published March 2026
To be reviewed March 2029