Jan. 19, 2024 – Pancreatic cancer remains the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., but people are living longer with the disease, according to a promising new report from the American Cancer Society.
In the past 20 years, the five-year survival rate among people with pancreatic cancer has doubled and is now 13%. The devastating illness is typically diagnosed in late stages once cancer has spread beyond the pancreas to other parts of the body, which makes it very difficult to treat. The improved short-term survival rate indicates that, just as with many other cancers, detection and treatments are improving.
“Working toward improved treatment options remains critically important, especially for people diagnosed with later-stage disease, but we are seeing the value of earlier detection through these improvements in the survival rate,” said Lynn Matrisian, PhD, MBA, chief science officer at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, in a news release.
The American Cancer Society’s latest detailed release of U.S. cancer statistics revealed the promising news that, overall, the death rate due to cancer is declining. However, when looking specifically at pancreatic cancer, the number of cases being diagnosed annually continues to increase, and the death rate due to pancreatic cancer continues to rise as well.
In 2024, an estimated 66,440 people are expected to be newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and 51,750 people will die of the disease. Those sobering numbers are in contrast to other more detectable and treatable cancers such as breast cancer, of which more than 313,000 people are diagnosed annually, but less than 43,000 people die due to breast cancer each year.
The pancreas is located behind the stomach, and produces digestive enzymes and hormones. Pancreatic cancer typically has no symptoms until the later stages of the disease. These symptoms can include weight loss, stomach pain, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, or gastrointestinal problems. These symptoms can be mistaken for other medical conditions, notes a summary of the disease from Johns Hopkins Medicine.
“We are on a promising path,” said Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA, president and CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, which calls itself PanCAN. “The PanCAN community has reason to celebrate – every one of you has contributed to the upward trend we are seeing. The future looks positive as we continue to make progress for people facing pancreatic cancer and their loved ones.”
