SUMMARY

Pancreatic cancer is a rare disease and responsible for around four percent of solid tumors, but the incidence is rising. Diagnosis usually happens at an advanced stage of the disease, because it goes unnoticed for a long time — possible warning signs such as unspecific back pain, upper abdominal pain or unexplained weight loss are often not taken seriously by patients. Only surgery, the complete removal of the tumor, offers a chance of recovery, and therefore early diagnosis is essential. Whether the tumor can be removed is not dependent on its size, but on the location to large blood vessels. If surgery is possible, preventive chemotherapy is administered, but there is still the risk of a relapse at about 60–90 percent. “For the metastatic stage, there are currently seven drugs available that can be administered until third-line therapy — significantly prolonging the survival span and often transforming an acute condition into a chronic condition with a good quality of life,” explains Ass.-Prof. Prager.

Oncology has become a priority for Servier: through steady investment in research and development Servier has built an innovative portfolio and is committed to therapeutic progress to serve patient needs with the help of healthcare professionals.