GP survey reveals struggle to diagnose early signs of pancreatic cancer

A recent poll by Pancreatic Cancer UK has revealed that the vast majority of GPs admit they would struggle to recognise the early signs of pancreatic cancer, often calling the disease ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the UK – around 10,000 people are diagnosed each year – but it is also one of the most deadly, 25 per cent of patients die within a month of diagnosis.

This is partly due to the fact that the disease exhibits very few symptoms in the early stage of the disease and therefore often remains undetected until the cancer has advanced and more difficult to treat. More than half of all cases are diagnosed at stage 4, when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Symptoms are often mistaken for acid reflux, back strain and indigestion.

Pancreatic Cancer UK’s Diana Jupp, said “For too long pancreatic cancer has been able to silently go undetected, devastating families. Thousands of patients a year, still reeling from hearing the word cancer, are told it’s too late, that nothing can be done for them.

“That has to stop. We have to give doctors the tools they need to detect the warning signs earlier, so they can ensure those who need it, receive treatment as soon as possible.”

Chair of the Royal College of GPs Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, said “GPs are acutely aware of how important it is to spot symptoms of pancreatic cancer, but it is notoriously difficult to diagnose in primary care, particularly in its early stages, simply because there are often no symptoms, at all – and when symptoms do present, they are often initially very vague, and could indicate many other, more common conditions.”
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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