Research into reliable tests and treatments will save lives

PANCREATIC CANCER UK

Stomach pains, toilet troubles, indigestion, fatigue – all are common symptoms with many causes which make pancreatic cancer so hard to spot.

And sadly, while cancer treatments have come on leaps and bounds, pancreatic cancer remains stubbornly difficult to tackle.

That’s why research into new treatments, and a diagnostic test that could make spotting pancreatic cancer easier and quicker, are so crucial.

Lynne Walker, pictured above, chairwoman of the board of trustees of Pancreatic Cancer UK, is acutely aware of the need for action to tackle this particularly cruel cancer.

“I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2009. But I beat the odds,” she says. “Thanks to lifesaving surgery, I’ve had ten wonderful years with family and friends. This isn’t the case for most people – only 1 per cent survive ten years.”

Having experienced the support the charity brings, Lynne became a trustee for Pancreatic Cancer UK five years ago.

“This dreadful disease has been neglected for too long,” she says. “Survival rates are as appalling now as they were ten years, or even 50 years ago. Less than 7 per cent of people survive for five years.”

There is hope, however. Pancreatic Cancer UK has a busy UK- wide portfolio of research projects and has invested more than

£ 7 million on world- class research.

In Glasgow, a key element of the charity’s work is its Future Leader’s Academy at the Beatson Institute, where PHD students investigate how pancreatic cancer grows and defends itself against current treatments.

Pancreatic Cancer UK also runs a free helpline, online groups and peerto- peer support services, called Side by Side.

Gifts in Wills are crucial to the charity’s work.

“A legacy could fund research into developing a diagnostic test and new treatments so more people have a chance of survival,” Lynne says.

“A gift in your Will could keep the support line open, so people affected by pancreatic cancer can get advice they desperately need from our specialist nurses.

“Whether your gift is large or small, it will help support people now and transform the future for everyone affected.” www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/legacyscot