Often called a “silent killer,” Pancreatic Cancer is one of the most challenging diseases physicians face today because it is difficult to diagnose, spreads quickly and responds poorly to treatment. November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and MedStar Georgetown is committed to raising awareness around early detection and prevention.

Here are some quick facts about the disease:

• Nearly 46,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year.
• Pancreatic cancer is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and is anticipated to become the second by 2020.
• Pancreatic cancer is one of the nation’s deadliest cancers with a five-year relative survival rate of just six percent. An estimated 73 percent of patients will die in the first year of diagnosis.
• Pancreatic cancer may cause only vague symptoms that could indicate many different conditions within the abdomen or gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms include pain (usually abdominal or back pain), weight loss, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), loss of appetite, nausea, changes in stool, and diabetes.
• The risk for developing pancreatic cancer triples if a person's mother, father or a sibling had the disease.
• The best treatment option for all pancreatic cancer patients is to be treated in an academic medical center, like MedStar Georgetown, where a works multidisciplinary group of expert physicians as a team to treat the cancer.

Help us spread awareness this November. Tweet your support using #PancreaticCancerAwareness.

To find a pancreatic disease specialist, call 202-444-5127 or 866-731-PANC (7262)

Marianne Worley
[email protected]
703-558-1287