World Pancreatic Cancer Day 2017

Demand Better is the theme of this year's World Pancreatic Cancer Day, an initiative brought about by the World Pancreatic Cancer Coallition.

Some facts have been collated to give a brief overview of why World Pancreatic Cancer Day takes place:

• Pancreatic cancer begins when abnormal cells within the pancreas grow out of control and form a tumor. The pancreas is a gland in the abdomen that lies behind the stomach and in front of the spine, with two main functions: digestion and blood sugar regulation.
• More than 95 percent of pancreatic cancers are classified as exocrine tumors. These tumors start in the exocrine cells that make pancreatic enzymes that help in digestion. Within this category, the vast majority of tumors are adenocarcinomas.
• Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pancreatic NETs or PNETs) account for less than 5 percent of all pancreatic tumors. They may be benign or malignant and tend to grow slower than exocrine tumors.
• Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate among all major cancers.

For the above reasons, pancreatic cancer has been labelled 'the word's toughest cancer'. The World Pancreatic Cancer Coallition unites over 60 organisations from 27 countries to help raise awareness and inspire action in the hope of improving outcomes for patients and their families.

You can get involved in raising awareness by wearing purple, using the hashtag #WPCD and by sharing some of the images provided by the organisers.

'Demand Better with us. Take action to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer, the symptoms and risks of this disease, and the urgent need for earlier detection.'