5 year survival rates for pancreatic cancer have not changed in over 40 years and with a strong focus on early diagnosis, it is our mission to change this by way of increased awareness of pancreatic cancer within the general population, the medical community and the Government.
We are developing educational programmes for trainee General Practitioners and are working on creating an e-learning module alongside the Royal College of GPs aimed at practicing clinicians; to help them spot the disease earlier and manage the condition better.
Pancreatic cancer, despite being the 5th commonest cause of cancer death in the UK, receives only 1% of overall research funding. This has to change and we are working hard to increase the overall level of funding for pancreatic cancer so the condition can be better known, better understood and better treated.
Simply, our aim is to get more people diagnosed in time for surgery – currently the only potential for a cure.
Photo: Courtesy of The Remarkable Studio, Haslemere
Having been involved in setting up the very first Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Week in 2009, Ali Stunt, a rare survivor of this disease, decided it was time to step up the levels of awareness for pancreatic cancer and so founded Pancreatic Cancer Action to do just that.
Along with Ali, Pancreatic Cancer Action has the support of many leading clinicians and researchers in the pancreatic cancer arena along with others whose lives have been touched by pancreatic cancer in some way.
Hugh Grant, Patron of Pancreatic Cancer Action
Acclaimed British and Hollywood actor, Hugh Grant became our Patron in September 2011
Brian Stevenson is a recently retired Corporate Banker who has spent his career in the UK, USA and the Far East looking after the needs of some of the UK’s largest corporates and financial institutions. He has been a Chief Operating Officer, a Chief Executive and a Chairman of various banking businesses over the past 10 years.
Having recently suffered the loss of a close work colleague to Pancreatic Cancer, Brian is motivated to try and help to raise awareness and funding in order to improve the survival rate of patients. In addition to his role at Pancreatic Cancer Action, Brian is a non-executive Director of The Agricultural Bank of China (UK) Ltd and an advisor to WorldPay Ltd.
He is married to Jeanette, has two boys and lives in Haslemere, Surrey. As a keen cyclist, Brian is also helping to raise funds through a Group known as ‘The Corporate Dynamos’.
All media enquiries should be directed to Fiona Taylor: fiona@pancreaticcanceraction.org or call 07841396020.
For further media information including statistics pack and pancreatic cancer media information pack downloads, please visit our Media Resources page
Medical Advisors
The team at Molten Technologies lost a dear colleague to pancreatic cancer in early 2011 and PCA is now Molten’s charity partner
We are very grateful to WilmerHale for their legal services, which they are generously providing to us on a pro bono basis
Photos of Ali have been very generously supplied by Peter Searight at The Remarkable Studio, Lynchmere, Haslemere. Contact Peter on 01428 725067 or click on the image to go through to their website.