13 March 2023 , 13:28
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Simply blowing into a bag at your GP surgery could help detect pancreatic cancer, thanks to a major scientific breakthrough.
The highly aggressive disease has a lower survival rate than other cancers, with symptoms being hard to spot.
They can include jaundice, sickness, changes in your poo, losing weight, indigestion and tummy pain.
And until now, these traits can often be mistaken for other less serious health conditions, which is why a more rapid referral for scans could lead to timely and lifesaving treatment.
Pancreatic Cancer UK, a dedicated charity that offers specialist support and investment in research, is helping to fund the project.
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The charity says the test would be a world-first for the disease and is backing a research team at Imperial College London - led by Professor George Hanna - which is studying how breath samples taken in a doctor's surgery could detect early symptoms of the cancer.
Helen Whately MP, minister for social care, recently visited the laboratories in London to try the test for herself.
She said: “The earlier we catch cancer, the more likely we are to beat it. That’s why breath tests like these could be such an important breakthrough – helping thousands of people get a potentially life-saving early diagnosis.
“Take pancreatic cancer ... a really nasty disease with a lower survival rate than other cancers. It’s tough to detect as the symptoms are often similar to other conditions, and that means less than one in four cases are currently caught at an early stage. This technology could change that. With nearly 10,000 people affected in the UK it’s easy to see how big a lifeline this might be.
“These tests, and similar ones looking to detect oesophageal and colorectal cancer, are just one example of the huge efforts being made by scientists, charities and the government to combat cancer.”
The charity says it is investing more than £650,000 to support the project, building on successful previous research, in particular work from the Early Diagnosis Research Alliance led by Professor Stephen Pereira at University College London.
Early diagnosis means the earlier treatment can start. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Their findings showed for the first time that biological markers of pancreatic cancer found in the blood can be effectively combined to develop highly sensitive tests for this disease.
Dr Chris Macdonald, head of research, said: “Finding an early detection test would make the single biggest difference to pancreatic cancer survival in 50 years. We know that the vast majority of patients will present with early symptoms two years before they are diagnosed, so there’s a huge window of opportunity there, if we can give GPs the new tools they need.
“If the brilliant team at Imperial are successful, we can take luck out of the equation for people with pancreatic cancer. In future, simply blowing into a bag at the GP surgery could quickly open the way for an urgent scan, and for those that need it, the chance of potentially curative treatment. I really do believe that through this project and others, we are on the cusp of a breakthrough that could save thousands of lives.”
What is pancreatic cancer?
The NHS says pancreatic cancer is a cancer that's found anywhere in the pancreas.
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- The pancreas is an organ in the top part of your tummy.
- It helps you digest your food and makes hormones, such as insulin.
- How serious pancreatic cancer is depends on where it is in the pancreas, how big it is, if it has spread, and your general health.
The main symptoms
Pancreatic cancer may not have any symptoms, or they might be hard to spot.
Symptoms of pancreatic cancer can include:
- The whites of your eyes or your skin turn yellow (jaundice), and you may also have itchy skin, darker pee and paler poo than usual
- Loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
- Feeling tired or having no energy
- A high temperature, or feeling hot or shivery
Other symptoms can affect your digestion, such as:
- Feeling or being sick
- Diarrhoea or constipation, or other changes in your poo
- Pain at the top part of your tummy and your back, which may feel worse when you're eating or lying down and better when you lean forward
- Symptoms of indigestion, such as feeling bloated
If you have another condition like irritable bowel syndrome, you may get symptoms like these regularly.
You might find you get used to them. But it's important to be checked by a GP if your symptoms change, get worse or do not feel normal for you.
For more information on pancreatic cancer, click