NHS launches new initiative to identify people with diabetes at risk of pancreatic cancer
We're proud to have worked with the NHS to develop this initiative, which could help improve the early diagnosis of this devastating disease and give more people the chance to receive potentially life-saving treatment.
We’re delighted that NHS England have announced the launch of a new pilot aimed at identifying people with a recent diagnosis of diabetes who are most at risk of pancreatic cancer.
Investing in regular monitoring for those at highest risk of pancreatic cancer was one of the calls in our recent Unite. Diagnose. Save lives. campaign, which saw over 70,000 supporters sign an open letter to governments across the UK calling for them to prioritise the early detection of pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer and is very challenging to diagnose at an early stage as symptoms are often vague or non-specific and there are currently no simple tests to help GPs detect the disease early. Over 80% of people are diagnosed too late to receive potentially life-saving treatment.
We know early detection of pancreatic cancer saves lives, and that some groups, like those with recent diagnosis of diabetes, may be at higher risk of developing the disease than others. This gives us an opportunity to find and monitor these people so that if they do develop pancreatic cancer, it can be picked up at an early stage. That’s why we’ve been working with the NHS to see how we can identify people with a recent diagnosis of diabetes who also have other symptoms or risk factors of pancreatic cancer, so that they can be diagnosed as early as possible if they do have the disease.
Diabetes is a common condition, and it’s important to remember most people with diabetes will not have pancreatic cancer. However, anyone who has had a recent diagnosis of diabetes within the last 12 months, is over 60 and has lost weight without trying to, may be at risk of pancreatic cancer.
“We’re proud to have been involved in shaping this new case finding pilot, which will support GPs to proactively find people with pancreatic cancer among one of largest groups known to be at increased risk"
NHS England are investing almost £2 million in this case-finding pilot, which will involve hundreds of GP practices across England. The aim is to test whether routine searches of GP records to pro-actively identify people with this combination of risk factors can improve the early detection of pancreatic cancer, in a bid to improve survival rates for this devastating disease.
Any patients flagged with these symptoms will then be referred for urgent tests to check if they also have pancreatic cancer, in a bid to catch cases at an early stage and while they are more likely to be treatable.
More than 300 GP practices across England will take part in the pilot, with the first 85 rolling it out this month. The scheme will expand to the rest in November.
Alfie Bailey-Bearfield, Head of Influencing & Health Improvement at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said:
“Diagnosing more people with pancreatic cancer earlier, when the disease is most treatable, would make the single biggest difference to improving survival, so we are delighted to see significant further investment from NHS England towards that incredibly important goal.
“We’re proud to have been involved in shaping this new case finding pilot, which will support GPs to proactively find people with pancreatic cancer among one of largest groups known to be at increased risk: those aged over 60, with new onset diabetes who have recently lost weight without trying to do so. Many of the people who are referred for a CT scan during the pilot will not have pancreatic cancer, but for those that do, the impact could be lifesaving.
“If this pilot is successful, we will be calling for this initiative to be expanded across the country to help give more people affected by the deadliest common cancer the very best chance of survival.”
Whether or not your GP practice is taking part in this pilot, if you have a recent diagnosis of diabetes, are over 60 and have lost weight without meaning to, it is important that you tell your GP about these symptoms as soon as possible. They may refer you for further tests, such as a CT scan, to check for any signs of pancreatic cancer.
If you’d like to talk through any concerns or questions, our specialist nurses are here for everyone affected by pancreatic cancer. You can get in touch online or call us for free on 0808 801 0707.
