Our impact together

Reflecting on a monumental year

2024/25

The past year has been transformative for pancreatic cancer, all thanks to supporters like you. With your help, not only was pancreatic cancer launched into the national spotlight, but we also made big strides in early diagnosis.

We’re closer than ever to achieving real change for people affected by pancreatic cancer. Read on to find out more about all that we achieved last year, in a turning point for pancreatic cancer.

TCS London Marathon charity of the year

In April 2024, we were thrilled to be announced as the official charity of the year for the 2025 TCS London Marathon. It was an unprecedented opportunity to make pancreatic cancer headline news.

Shortly before the event, our powerful Shoes of Hope installation featuring 797 pairs of trainers representing the number of people lost to pancreatic cancer every month, generated extensive media coverage and millions of views on social media. The stories many of you shared alongside this captured the hearts of the nation.

On the day, we received wall-to-wall coverage and incredible levels of support, not only from our runners and volunteers but from the public too.

Together, we put pancreatic cancer in the spotlight and raised over £2.8 million which will help us fund a game-changing early detection test.

Earlier and faster diagnosis

Right now, half of people with pancreatic cancer die within three months of diagnosis. We want everyone to be diagnosed early enough for treatment to save or extend their life.

Last year, our significant early detection research investments included a Career Foundation Fellowship for Dr Lucy Oldfield at the University of Liverpool who is aiming to develop a blood test to identify people with type 3c diabetes, which is linked to a high risk of pancreatic cancer. We also continued to support several promising early detection tools, including the world’s first breath test for pancreatic cancer.

We also launched our Family History Checker, an online tool for people who have two or more family members on the same side diagnosed with pancreatic cancer to check their risk of inheriting the disease and access monitoring to support early detection. The tool was accessed over 66,000 times in its first six months.

Faster treatment breakthroughs

Pancreatic cancer’s complexity makes effective treatment challenging. We accelerate more effective pancreatic cancer treatments so that people can live longer and well.

Over 60,000 of you supported our Demand Survival Now campaign, where we called on all political parties to make pancreatic cancer a priority. Because of you, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party included less survivable cancers in their manifesto.

Throughout this period, with your support and the support from our charity partners, we campaigned and influenced the Rare Cancers Bill. This bill could be instrumental in maximising research investment into pancreatic cancer and other overlooked cancers. In July 2025, the Rare Cancers Bill was under threat – but thanks to our amazing supporters, we saved it! The Bill passed its final debate (known as the Third Reading) in the House of Commons, marking another significant step in its journey through Parliament. The Bill has now moved to the House of Lords for further debate.

We’ve invested over £1 million in research collaborations, to allow researchers to work together to drive transformative change.

Over 10,000 people accessed our Clinical Trial Finder, which allows people to search for UK pancreatic cancer trials that may support their treatment.

High quality care everywhere

We endeavour to ensure that high-quality pancreatic cancer treatment and care is available throughout the UK.

We advocated for UK-wide adoption of our Optimal Care Pathway, which outlines what pancreatic cancer diagnosis, treatment and care should look like.

Together, we made sure to address the PERT shortages that have been potentially affecting over 61,000 people. We increased pressure through an exclusive BBC Breakfast interview, and held an emergency event in Westminster to urge MPs to address these shortages. Over 2,000 of you persuaded over 100 MPs to attend.

Responding to the PERT shortages, we expanded our range of training events for healthcare professionals to include two PERT shortage events. Our events also covered managing pancreatic cancer symptoms, and training sessions on topics including diet, diabetes, end of life and psychosocial support. Over 2,000 healthcare professionals benefitted from these sessions and online courses – more than ever.

Better quality of life

We ensure that people with pancreatic cancer symptoms are supported, empowered and better able to manage their symptoms to improve their quality of life, and that of their loved ones.

Our webinars for people affected by pancreatic cancer were re-focused to deliver the right amount of information. Over 160 people attended out live webinars, which was over 40% more than last year. More than half of people felt less isolated after attending one of these events.

Our specialist pancreatic cancer nurses supported over 2,000 people through our phone and email Support Line, and over 900 people received our tailored information and support emails.

We started trialling WhatsApp as a new, flexible way to contact our specialist nurses. We also created Circles, a new service to connect people affected by pancreatic cancer via Facebook groups and WhatsApp. Since launching, over 500 people have joined our Circles community.

Our Reach