20 years of Pancreatic Cancer UK
2026 marks an incredible 20 years of Pancreatic Cancer UK and we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. Pancreatic cancer is undeniably tough to detect, diagnose and treat, but together we have still seen great progress. Just imagine what more we can do together in the next 20 years.
In 2006, governments, the public and even some healthcare professionals thought there was very little that could be done about the disease. There was insignificant funding, no policy focus, minimal public awareness and no specialist support and information available outside of the NHS. So when we were officially established as a charity at this time, it was with the intention of raising funds for research into early diagnosis and more effective treatments, raising the profile of the disease with governments and providing access to information and support to those affected.
Here we take a look at how, thanks to you, we’ve driven this forward and how our community has grown to bring more than hope to people affected by pancreatic cancer.
Twenty years on, we’ve developed a vibrant and dedicated research community, fostered collaboration and attracted more people into the field.
In 2009, we launched our first major research grant-giving round which offered grants of £250,000. Today, we are so proud our research investment has reached a total investment of £20.6 million. Thanks to you there are now multiple promising tests in development which focus on detecting signs of pancreatic cancer in blood and urine, and we’ve launched a clinical study to test the world’s first pancreatic cancer breath test. We are also investing in cutting-edge research which aims to develop and discover new ways to treat and care for people with pancreatic cancer.
We have supported 148 early career researchers, investing in developing the future leaders of pancreatic cancer research.
Our Research Involvement Network, set up in 2016, has grown with 820 people with lived experience currently involved in shaping our research, including 250 research projects in the last year.
“When I qualified as a doctor over 30 years ago, one of my first patients had pancreatic cancer and he died just a couple of weeks after being diagnosed. I found it frustrating that there was nothing I could do to help. So, when I moved into research, pancreatic cancer seemed the obvious choice. There were only two other pancreatic cancer researchers at the time in the UK. It was seen as being a challenge too big to crack. But things are different now. I have been in pancreatic cancer research for a long time, but I have never been more excited.”
We’ve influenced government initiatives across the UK and built political support, including for more consistent care across the four nations. Through this, we’ve secured significant commitments and action to transform pancreatic cancer.
We’ve run campaigns, supported petitions, called for new guidance and sat on committees alongside those affected by pancreatic cancer. And with you by our side, after years and years of campaigning and policy work, we’ve seen real progress.
We’ve gone from 0 mentions of pancreatic cancer in Parliament in 2006 to 126 in 2026 so far across Westminster, the Senedd in Wales and Holyrood in Scotland. Our campaigning community has grown to around 75,000 people and nearly 412,000 of you have called for change via our high-profile campaigns. Since 2020, our amazing supporters have together taken 18,837 actions, such as writing to their local MP about pancreatic cancer.
The prioritisation of pancreatic cancer now features in key national cancer strategies in Scotland and England. We campaigned, worked with elected representatives, decision makers, clinicians and in coalition to secure these changes and we supported people affected by pancreatic cancer to have their say.
Your campaigning and our leadership of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce galvanised public and parliamentary support to bring into force the Rare Cancers Act, a new law supporting people with pancreatic cancer. This is the first ever legislation specifically targeting pancreatic cancer.
Through our vital Optimal Care Pathway work, we worked with health professionals, patients and decision makers to secure new healthcare programmes to drive better diagnosis, treatment and care across the UK. These programmes show what best practice should look like for the diagnosis, treatment and care for people with pancreatic cancer.
Our services and information have grown from strength to strength.
Thanks to our incredible nurses and our extensive information, over the years we’ve been there for more than 30,000 families, providing personalised support tailored to their needs. In the last year alone, we have supported over half of the people affected by pancreatic cancer in the UK each year.
What started as an online forum for those affected with pancreatic cancer in 2007 and our first information booklet published in 2011, has grown to eight services and types of support and information across multiple channels. One part-time nurse on our Support Line in 2010, armed only with a Blackberry mobile phone, is now a team of seven.
We ran our first summit for the pancreatic cancer community with 100 attendees in 2012 and our first annual nurse study day in 2013 with 67 attendees. Now, in the last year alone we have reached over 3,000 health professionals through our events and online courses.
We’ve vastly elevated awareness during this time.
With every opportunity, we’ve done our utmost to raise the profile of pancreatic cancer. We supported scriptwriters on aspects of a Coronation Street storyline about pancreatic cancer in 2013. The story increased calls to our specialist nurse Support Line by 50% in the following month and led to a huge increase in website traffic as well as vast national coverage.
More recently, you’ve helped us take centre stage at the TCS London Marathon when we were Charity of the Year in 2025, supported by 600 runners and raising £2.8 million, and achieving incredible coverage across many national news outlets.
With every media opportunity we’ve raised awareness of pancreatic cancer and its symptoms as well as critical issues around disease, featuring your stories and what you want to see change for people affected by the disease. In 2013, we had just under 800 pieces of media coverage. Today that stands at over 4000 pieces of coverage, with 10 billion potential views.
We know there is so much more to do, but together we will transform the future of pancreatic cancer. Whether you’ve been with us from the start or come on board more recently, we cannot thank you enough for standing with us. We’re so grateful for your support.
