We’re demanding treatment breakthroughs; we’re demanding survival
Today marks the launch of our Demand Survival Now petition, calling on governments across the UK to fund more research for treatment breakthroughs.
Did you know that 7 in 10 people with pancreatic cancer are currently told there is no treatment available for them?
Their chance of survival is taken away – half of people diagnosed die within three months. That’s because for decades, governments neglected pancreatic cancer research, and as a result there are hardly any treatments available.
We think this is unacceptable. If you do too, you can sign our petition today.
We know if the deadliest common cancer becomes a priority, we can change this. This happened for leukaemia, and survival has quadrupled in recent years. At Pancreatic Cancer UK, alongside our dedicated community of supporters, we believe people with pancreatic cancer deserve more. People like Laura’s mum:
“Mom had been struggling to eat and was complaining of constant bloating. She was rushed to A&E and told it was pancreatic cancer. We waited to hear her treatment plan, but there was nothing that could be done for her. Absolutely nothing.
“We couldn’t wrap our heads around it. She sadly lost her fight to pancreatic cancer 10 weeks after diagnosis. We were lucky enough to honour her final wish and take her to her favourite place by the sea for ice cream and fish and chips with all the family. But 10 weeks is nothing. This must change.”
This campaign will help to change the future for others, to ensure they don’t have to receive the same devastating news as Laura and her mum.
The few people who are eligible for treatment face toxic and grueling interventions. They are forced to choose between quality of life and a chance to survive. Roxane had to make that choice:
“Treatment for pancreatic cancer is punishing. When I was diagnosed, I went through six months of gruelling chemotherapy. I was in and out of hospital because of the side effects and when I was home, I was barely able to move from my bed to the sofa.
“Two years on, I’m still dealing with the effects of the treatment. The chemotherapy made me more susceptible to infections and other illnesses. My lungs became really inflamed and winter bugs have floored me a few times. My body is more fragile now. I consider myself lucky to have got to this point, as I know most people die within just a few months of diagnosis. Many are too ill to have any treatment at all.”
That’s why our latest petition to Demand Survival Now is so important.
We’ll be demanding that governments deliver on a system that will finally prioritise treatment breakthroughs. We’re calling for:
- More chances: Personalising treatment by testing tumours whenever possible.
- More progress: A system that fast-tracks people onto clinical trials.
- More lives saved: Funding for research to support future pancreatic cancer treatments and trials.
When we campaign together, we make progress. Thanks to thousands of our supporters, it has already been a historic year for the future of pancreatic cancer treatment. You might have seen some of our major campaigning successes we’ve achieved together:
- The National Cancer Plan was announced in February, and prioritised pancreatic cancer diagnosis, treatment and care for the first time.
- This was followed by the Rare Cancers Act in March, requiring the Government to support research into less common cancers like pancreatic cancer – which will help to develop new treatment breakthroughs.
- Multiple political parties committed to cancer strategies with a focus on less survivable cancers like pancreatic cancer – including Plaid Cymru, who have just formed the new Welsh Government, and the SNP in Scotland.
If governments across the UK deliver on their promises, pancreatic cancer will finally get the attention and resource it desperately needs.
Signing our previous petitions made governments listen. And signing our new one will help us hold them to account.
Together, we’ll ensure these promises lead to more research, so that we have kinder, more effective treatments. So more people with pancreatic cancer have more time to spend with the people they love the most. Whilst governments catch up, we will continue to fund our own ground-breaking research into pancreatic cancer treatment. Our work will not stop.
Right now, for example, we are funding research at the University of Manchester to study cutting-edge radiotherapy techniques. Our researchers are learning how to target the tumour as accurately as possible, avoiding damaging nearby healthy organs and cutting out the gruelling side effects people currently experience.
We are also funding the development of a new kind of immunotherapy that will be much more effective at breaking down the cancer cells. You’ll hear all about these developments if you sign our petition today.
