Pancreatic Cancer Action

Pancreatic Cancer – Quick Statistics

pie chart pancreatic cancer

 

Pancreatic cancer has the worst survival rate of all cancers.

5-year survival is only 3%.

This figure has not changed in over 40 years.

 

  • Pancreatic cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer death in the UK
  • In 2009, 8,366 people were newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK
  • In 2009, 8,047 people died from pancreatic cancer in the UK
  • 22 people a day die from pancreatic cancer [1]
  • Relative survival to 5 years is only 3%
  • Relative survival to 1 year is less than 20% and is one of the worst rates in Europe
  • 82% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK will die within a year as most are diagnosed with late stage disease
  • 47% of people are diagnosed as an emergency in our A&E departments [2] 
  • Only 10% of patients are diagnosed in time for potentially curative surgery[3] 
  • Those who are diagnosed in time for surgery have a 30% chance of surviving five years [4 ]
  • It is the 11th most common cancer for men, and the 8th most common cancer for women.
  • 40% of patients are under the age of 69 at diagnosis[5 ]
  • Deaths from pancreatic cancer increased between 2002 & 2009 while deaths from many other cancers declined

The NCRI (Strategic Analysis 2002) identified that pancreatic cancer is underfunded given its incidence and mortality rates

 

References

Incidence figures:

England: Office for National Statistics: Registrations of cancer diagnosed in 2009, England Edition No.: MB1 40

Scotland: Information and Statistics Division (ISD) of the NHS in National Services Scotland  www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/

Wales: Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit  www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/home.cfm?OrgID=24

Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland Cancer Registry www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/

Mortality figures: 

Office for National Statistics Deaths by age, sex and underlying cause, 2009 registrations http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14409 accessed April 2011

 ISD Scotland http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1498.html accessed April 2011

 Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Queens University, Belfast: Number of deaths and mortality rates by sex: 2005-2009 http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/ Accessed April 2011

 Other statistics:

1 based on 2009 UK mortality figures.

2  NCIN (2010)

3  White et al., (1999) in Sultana et al., (2007) Systematic review, including meta-analysis, on the management of locally advanced pancreatic cancer using radiation/combined modal therapy. British Journal of Cancer 96, 1183-1190

4  Ghaneh et al., (2008) Neoadjuvant and adjuvant strategies for pancreatic cancer EJSO 34 297-305

5 based on Office for National Statistics Statistical Bulletin: Cancer Survival in England patients diagnosed 2004-2008 followed up to 2009 Published 21 April 2011http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/can0411.pdf accessed 30/04/2011

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