Dr. Cohen says, “Pancreatic cancer has no test for early detection and no routine screening process to detect it. Only patients with strong genetic factors have screening protocols for early detection. Pancreatic cancer will require more research and more funding to find early detection testing As of now, the survival rate of pancreatic cancer is a grim 9 percent. Surgery is the only chance of cure and only 20 percent of cases with pancreatic cancer are surgical candidates. If no further research or development comes along, pancreatic cancer will become the second leading cause of cancer death.”
Dr. Bose adds, “Because of its location, pancreas cancer does not usually cause symptoms until it is advanced. There is no screening tool for pancreatic cancer, like a colonoscopy or a mammogram. There are no good blood tests to screen for pancreatic cancer , like a PSA. For some people it is possible to perform surgery to remove pancreatic cancer, which is the only way to achieve “long” term survival, but under the best of circumstances people with pancreatic cancer live an average of 2-3 years after diagnosis, and only about 1 in 4 people who are able to undergo surgery survive to 5 years.”
