Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer, with more than half of people dying within three months of diagnosis and 80% of people diagnosed at a late stage.

In this episode of the Clinical Update podcast, part of MIMS Learning's ‘Patient, Presentation, Pathway for Cancer’ campaign, Rhiannon speaks to Rachel Richardson, a pancreatic cancer specialist nurse at Pancreatic Cancer UK.

During their discussion, they consider the common but often vague symptoms patients may experience, including abdominal/back pain, unexplained weight loss, and new-onset diabetes. 

Rachel says: ‘Research does highlight that over 90% of pancreatic cancer patients will actually visit their GP with relevant symptoms in the 2 years before they're diagnosed. So really this represents such a crucial window of opportunity for earlier detection.’

The discussion also covers key risk factors, the important link between pancreatic cancer and type 3c diabetes, and new diagnostic tools in development – such as breath and blood tests – that could help GPs detect pancreatic cancer earlier.

Educational objectives

After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be better able to:

• Recall the common, but often vague symptoms, of pancreatic cancer
• Identify key risk factors, including age, family history, smoking, obesity and pancreatic cysts
• Understand the link between type 3c diabetes and pancreatic cancer
• Recognise the challenges in diagnosis, including late presentation and non-specific symptoms
• Describe promising new diagnostic tools in development, such as breath and blood tests

You can access the website version of this podcast, along with a list of key learning points, on MIMS Learning - and make notes for your appraisal.

MIMS Learning offers hundreds of hours of CPD for healthcare professionals, along with a handy CPD organiser.

Please note: this podcast is presented by medical editors and discusses educational content written or presented by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the MIMS Learning website and at live events.

MIMS Learning

Subscribe to MIMS Learning

Podcast: Professor Willie Hamilton on cancer risk assessment tools

Podcast: Dr Patrick Holmes on identifying type 3c diabetes in primary care

Pancreatic cancer - red flag symptoms

Other resources

Pancreatic Cancer UK. Health professionals page.

Pancreatic Cancer UK. Family history checker

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.