With Shrove Tuesday fast approaching on March 8th, why not consider making some purple pancakes to help raise awareness of pancreatic cancer. Invite your friends, family or colleagues or simply make some to sell at school or work.
The American-style pancakes in our recipe can be made in advance and reheated in a microwave and include blueberries which are not only packed with antioxidants, but they taste fab too!
Download the Purple pancake recipe here
Don’t forget, if you have made your purple pancakes, take a photo and email it to us
- Posted by Admin on February 21, 2012
Scientists in the UK have discovered that using a combination of Gemcitabine along with an experimental drug known as MRK003, a chain of events that kills pancreatic cancer cells is set off making the combination of the two drugs far more effective than using each of the drugs on their own.
Published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers from Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Unit identified that MRK003 (a gamma secretase inhibitor) blocks an important cell signalling pathway (known as Notch) in both pancreatic cancer cells and in the cells lining the blood vessels which supply the tumours with essential nutrients (known as endothelial cells).
When combined with Gemcitabine (a standard drug used to treat pancreatic cancer), the MRK003 allowed the Gemcitabine drug to be far more effective in destroying tumours than it is when used alone. According to the researchers, this set off a “domino effect of molecular activity to switch off cell survival processes and to destroy pancreatic cancer cells.”
The results of this research, initially carried out in laboratory mice, is now being tested in a phase I/II clinical trial in Cambridge, Glasgow, Leicester and London, which is still recruiting patients with metastatic (spread to other parts of the body) pancreatic cancer. Click on the link to find out more about the pancreatic cancer clinical trial.
Ali Stunt, Chief Executive of Pancreatic Cancer Action, said: ” Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to treat as it is often resistent to current chemotherapy drugs. It is encouraging to see some progress being made in trying to overcome this problem and we hope that the clinical trials confirm this.
“Pancreatic cancer is the Cinderella of all cancers in all respects and decades of chronic underfunding has allowed the five-year survival rate to remain at only three per cent for the past forty years. While we welcome Cancer Research UK’s recent focus on pancreatic cancer treatment, so much more needs to be done – including promoting earlier diagnosis.
“Even though it is the fifth biggest cancer killer in the UK, pancreatic cancer still receives less than one per cent of overall research funding. Until this shameful situation changes, advances in the treatment of pancreatic cancer will remain slow.”
Source: Cancer Research UK Press Release, Monday 20th February 2012
Cook et al., (2012) Gamma Secretase inhibition promotes hypoxic necrosis in murine pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Journal of Experimental Medicine
- Posted by Admin on February 20, 2012
Wendy Butler, who has lost her battle with pancreatic cancer
Ali pays tribute to Wendy Butler who has sadly lost her battle with pancreatic cancer.
Click on text above or on image to read Ali’s blog.
- Posted by Admin on February 9, 2012
Long-term use of the diabetes drug metformin has been found to be associated with a lower risk of pancreatic cancer – but only in women according to new research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. The study, carried out by the University of Basel, Switzerland found that other diabetes drugs were associated in an increased risk of contracting pancreatic cancer.
Using data from the General Practice Research Database, researchers looked at records of more than eight million people in the UK including 2,800 who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 1995 and 2009. For comparison, for each of those with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, scientists found another six of the same age and gender that didn’t have the disease.
The scientists then looked back at those patient records to see how many people in both groups had previously been diagnosed with diabetes and if so, which anti-diabetes drug they had been prescribed – either Metformin (a drug which causes the body to make or absorb more glucose), insulin or a group of drugs called sulfonylureas (names such as Gliclazide) which cause the body to make more insulin to regulate blood sugar levels.
What the researchers found was that two per cent of people with pancreatic cancer had been taking metformin long-term (more than 30 prescriptions) before they were diagnosed, compared to 1.6 per cent of the group without cancer – a difference that could have been due to chance.
However, when the researchers separated the records by gender, they found that long-term metformin use was associated with a decreased risk of pancreatic cancer in women (adjusted OR, 0.43), but not in men (adjusted OR, 1.59),
As for long-term use of sulfonylureas (> 30 prescriptions) and insulin, the overall analysis demonstrated a “materially increased risk of pancreatic cancer “ (adjusted OR, 1.90 and 2.29, respectively)
However, the numbers taking these medications were small. Less than one per cent of those with or without pancreatic cancer had taken insulin long-term. Sulfonylurea users accounted for just over three per cent of people with a new pancreatic cancer diagnosis and two per cent without cancer. As a result, it is difficult to differentiate exactly whether the increased cancer risk is due to the diabetes drugs or as a result of other factors such as lack of exercise or poor diet in people with diabetes and further studies need to be carried out to determine the true extent of risk.
The study also found that diabetes mellitus was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, but the risk was restricted to those with newly diagnosed diabetes (less than 2 years). This backs up the findings of other scientists that short-term diabetes mellitus is likely caused by pancreatic cancer.
Reference:
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- Posted by Admin on February 3, 2012
Ken Crawley has set up an online petition in order to get pancreatic cancer diagnosis debated in Parliament and needs 100,000 signatures by 14th November 2012 for this to happen. Ken says...”It is a scandal that almost 97% of people diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer die within 5 years. 22 people a day die from Pancreatic cancer. Earlier, clearer diagnosis would reduce this.
Two years ago, I hadn’t even heard of Pancreatic cancer. Then a life-long friend lost his wife to the disease. More recently a dear friend told me that she lost her husband also to Pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer death in the UK. 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 while deaths from many other cancers declined.
Pancreatic cancer could be termed ‘The Hidden Killer’. Many of its symptoms mirror other less critical illnesses and therefore GPs often do not realise their significance. Symptoms can include jaundice, diabetes and gall stones and GPs may first treat these resulting in time being lost before the correct diagnosis is reached. By this time it can be too late to treat the cancer. This happened with both of my friends.
I have decided to try and change this and I have set up an e-petition online at
The aim is to have Pancreatic Cancer diagnosis debated in Parliament. To achieve this 100,000 signatures are needed. Nearly 300 signatures are needed each and every day to achieve this. The petition is available until 14 November 2012, which seems a long time but it will soon pass by. Pancreatic cancer diagnosis and treatment is a lottery. “
- Posted by Admin on January 25, 2012
