A call-to-action raising the critical need for focus on pancreatic cancer was announced today in the European Parliament.
This call-to-action, titled 'Giving a voice to pancreatic cancer', aims to ensure the inclusion of pancreatic cancer in national and European Union initiatives aimed at fighting cancer.
Members of the European Parliament Dr Philippe Juvin (EPP, France), Philippe De Backer (ALDE, Belgium), Françoise Grossetête (EPP, France) and Daciana Sârbu (S&D, Romania) are the four champions of this call to action, which was officially announced during an event on Pancreatic Cancer in the European Parliament.
At the event, MEPs Philippe de Backer and Francoise Grossetête, as well as recognised experts such as Francesco De Lorenzo, President of the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC); Professor Matthias Löhr, Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Karolinska Institute; and Antoni Montserrat, Policy Officer for cancer and rare diseases, Directorate of Public Health for the European Commission spoke to the importance of the action in reversing the statistics for survival with the devastating disease.
During the last few decades, little progress has been made in improving outcomes for patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
According to Globocan, 103,845 people are currently affected by pancreatic cancer in Europe.
The mortality of pancreatic cancer is high, making it the fourth deadliest cancer for both men and women, and that figure is expected to move to second position by 2020.
Patients diagnosed with metastatic disease have a median life expectancy, after diagnosis, of approximately three to six months.
Until recently, there were no new medications approved for pancreatic cancer in nearly seven years.
The Giving a Voice to Pancreatic Cancer Call-to-Action includes specific recommendations for EU member states, including:
Click here to learn more about the Call to Action
References
Globocan/IARC factsheet 2012: http://globocan.iarc.fr/Pages/fact_sheets_population.aspx[accessed Oct 2014].
Malvezzi M et al. Ann Oncol. 2013;24:792-800
The World Cancer Declaration recognises that to make major reductions in premature deaths, innovative education and training opportunities for healthcare workers in all disciplines of cancer control need to improve significantly.
ecancer plays a critical part in improving access to education for medical professionals.
Every day we help doctors, nurses, patients and their advocates to further their knowledge and improve the quality of care. Please make a donation to support our ongoing work.
Thank you for your support.