SNP MSP will today (Wednesday) use
his members' debate in the Scottish Parliament to raise awareness
of pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer leads to nearly 1,000 deaths in Scotland every
year - with a 5 year survival rate of less than 7% showing how
vital early diagnosis is.
will use his members' debate
to highlight that people with symptoms such as indigestion,
stomach pain or jaundice should see their GP.
NHS Scotland has also recently launched a new initiative with an
innovative "Virtual Cancer Care Team" to speed up diagnosis and
treatment of pancreatic cancer, with early results showing an
increase in early diagnosis.
Commenting, SNP MSP said:
"This debate is an opportunity to highlight the difficulties in
diagnosing and treating pancreatic cancer.
"Time is absolutely critical with this cancer, with analysis
showing that unless it is diagnosed early around 50% of people
will die within three months.
"Scotland is the only part of the UK to include tackling this
issue in its Cancer Action Plan - and early results from our
Rapid Diagnostic pilot are encouragingly showing 12% of
patients getting an earlier diagnosis and increasing their
chances of survival.
"After losing my mother to this cancer, I am proud to support
Pancreatic Cancer UK's "Don't Write Me Off" campaign
which will undoubtedly save lives."
