What Is Pancreatic Cancer?
November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.
Pancreatic cancer affects the pancreas, which is an organ in your digestive and endocrine systems and it is responsible for making enzymes to help with digestion and hormones to control the amount of sugar in your blood.
The pancreas is often described as looking like a tadpole. It is found at the back of the abdomen behind the stomach. Its position means that problems with the pancreas can be hard to identify.
The symptoms of pancreatic cancer are often vague until it is in the later stages, and this means that it is undetected in 80% of cases until it has spread to other parts of the body, when it is often too late for life-saving treatment.
What Are The Symptoms Of Pancreatic Cancer?
Pancreatic cancer does not often cause symptoms when it is in the early stages. As the cancer grows and develops, symptoms can start to appear.
The symptoms can come and go, which can make pancreatic cancer hard to diagnose.
The most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer are:
- Indigestion - a pain, discomfort or a burning feeling in your chest, upper stomach or throat.
- Stomach or back pain – this may start as pain or discomfort in the upper stomach, which then spreads to the back.
- Changes to your poo – this is any change, including diarrhoea, constipation and poo that is hard to flush away.
- Unexplained weight loss – losing a lot of weight without trying to.
- Jaundice - yellow skin and eyes, dark wee, pale poos and itchy skin.
There are also other symptoms that can be caused by other conditions, but are also linked to pancreatic cancer, including problems digesting food, feeling or being sick, blood clots, fatigue, and reduced appetite. You can read more about the symptoms of pancreatic cancer on the Pancreatic Cancer UK website.
How Is Pancreatic Cancer Treated?
If you have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, your medical team will advise you about the treatment that is most appropriate for you. Treatment will depend on the type of cancer, the stage, and your general health and fitness.
The types of treatment that could be available include:
- Chemotherapy.
- Radiotherapy.
- Surgery.
What Is The Breath Test For Pancreatic Cancer?
The symptoms of pancreatic cancer can be vague until it is in the later stages, which makes it hard to detect early and then the likelihood of successful treatment is much lower.
Early detection saves lives, so researchers are looking for ways to try to diagnose the disease as early as possible.
It was announced at the end of October 2025 by Pancreatic Cancer UK that a nationwide trial of a pancreatic breath test is being launched.
Over the past 2 years, scientists at Imperial College London have completed breath test research with 700 patients. The results were “highly promising” for the test being able to detect pancreatic cancer in the earliest stages.
The nationwide trial will involve thousands of patients and is the next step before regulatory approval can be sought for the test. If this is agreed, then they can ask the NHS to start using the test. It is hoped that GPs could start using the test in the next 5 years.
It is believed that the breath test could save thousands of lives every year. The CEO of Pancreatic Cancer UK, Diana Jupp, said that the breath test research is “…undoubtedly, the most significant step toward a lifesaving-breakthrough in 50 years”.
How Does The Breath Test Work?
The breath test analyses compounds in the breath after someone has breathed into a device that is similar to an alcohol breathalyser.
If there is early pancreatic cancer in the body, the cancer cells will produce compounds that will be detectable in the breath. The breath test takes only 30 seconds and could provide test results within 3 days.
If there is a positive test, a GP could refer a patient for further investigations quickly so that pancreatic cancer could be diagnosed or ruled out. This may mean that they have the opportunity to have life-saving treatment.
Are There Medical Negligence Claims for Pancreatic Cancer?
The impact that a delayed or missed diagnosis of pancreatic cancer can have on you and your family can be devastating. You may not know what to do or where to turn.
We are here to support you and listen to your concerns. Contact us if you believe that you may have a pancreatic cancer medical negligence claim.
We specialise in medical negligence claims involving delayed or missed diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, and you will have our specialist expertise and support every step of the way.
We will help you to understand what happened, and we can also help you to obtain compensation for treatment, care, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any other losses you have experienced because of your pancreatic cancer claim.
Quote from author. Gemma Lewis, Partner and Specialist Medical Negligence Solicitor from MDS, said “Pancreatic cancer has long been considered one of the deadliest and most difficult to treat cancers. The news that there has been success in the breath test research and that it can move to the next stage is welcome in 2025’s Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. If the research is successful, it could save thousands of lives”.
