Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, but it is hoped that a new study can aid in increasing the survival rate of persons diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Read about this new study here.
The reason that pancreatic cancer is so deadly is that it is normally diagnosed very late as the early sign symptoms are nonspecific. Meaning that they are often mistaken for other ailments. The discovery of these 27 microbial species in stool samples can now hopefully assist with earlier detection.
The NICE guidelines note that referrals are to be made for suspected pancreatic cancer on the current conditions;
Refer people using a suspected cancer pathway referral (for an appointment within 2 weeks) for pancreatic cancer if they are aged 40 and over and have jaundice.
Consider an urgent direct access CT scan (to be done within 2 weeks), or an urgent ultrasound scan if CT is not available, to assess for pancreatic cancer in people aged 60 and over with weight loss and any of the following:
- Diarrhoea
- Back pain
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- New-onset diabetes
As you can see these, these are largely nonspecific symptoms that a person could be suffering with, and health practitioners are likely to diagnose IBS or other general stomach illness rather than referring a person. Meaning that by the time a person has started to attend with jaundice it may be too late.
It is likely that a person who attended their practitioner over 60 with the above symptoms will been screened meaning possible stool samples taken. But without the knowledge of these microbial species the stools samples re likely to have come back “normal” and as such there was no cause for consider any further referral.
Oakwood Solicitors hope that these this new study will pave way for this microbial species assessment to be done as part of the screening when stool samples are taken. Meaning, if a positive result comes back then a referral of possible pancreatic cancer would be made. it is hoped that this will reduce the fatality of the cancer.
Further reading
Cancer Claims – Oakwood Solicitors
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Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, but it is hoped that a new study can aid in increasing the survival rate of persons diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Read about this new study here. The reason that pancreatic cancer is so deadly is that it is normally diagnosed very late as the early…
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