Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult types of cancer to diagnose. According to experts, pancreatic cancer can be diagnosed as early as three years if people are weighed regularly and have their blood sugar checked. More than 10,000 people in the UK and 60,000 people in the US are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year.
Pancreatic cancer has a tragically high death rate because about 90 percent of people are diagnosed too late for surgery, the only treatment.
PANCREATIC CANCER MAY BE DETECTED THREE YEARS AGO
A study of more than 43,000 people in the UK found that cancer could have been detected three years earlier. When abnormally elevated blood sugar, weight gain, and weight loss are detected in the early stages of pancreatic cancer, action can be taken. Thanks to this situation, scientists state that pancreatic cancer can be diagnosed three years ago.
TWO IMPORTANT POINTS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF PANCREAS CANCER: WEIGHT AND BLOOD SUGAR
According to the research results; shows that comparing the change in a person’s weight and blood sugar to those of similar people can greatly increase the chances of early detection.
The researchers compared the body mass index (BMI) and blood glucose measurements of 8,777 pancreatic cancer patients with those of nearly 35,000 people of the same age and sex without pancreatic cancer.
Looking at the readings for patients in the five years to diagnosis and people without cancer in the same time frame revealed very early differences.
Leading the research at the University of Surrey, Dr. Agnieszka Lemanska said: ‘Patients can detect significant reductions in weight and increases in blood sugar years before they are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.’