We all know that cancer occurs in the pancreas, an organ present in the right side of the abdomen and that lies in the lower part of the stomach. These pancreas consist of two major functions i.e., it provides enzymes which support digestion. It makes hormones such as insulin, which controls the storage and usage of the glucose in the body. The pancreatic cancers are mostly formed in two types: they are exocrine cancers, which mostly occurs in 95% of cases. Another type is Endocrine cancers with neuroendocrine or islet cells cancers.
A month is opted to create awareness on pancreatic cancer and it will be a global healthcare event. It is for the entire month of November every year from 2000’s. Many international and other local organizations are helping together in providing awareness of pancreatic cancer by conducting campaigns, activities. These help in the importance of early pancreatic diagnosis, treatment and tips for avoiding the severity of cancer.
On every third Thursday of November i.e., in the year 2024, on 21st November 2024, we celebrate world pancreatic day. The dates were changing from many years they are:
- 2023, it was 16 November
- 2022, it was 17 November
- 2021, it was 18 November
- 2020, it was 19 November
- 2019, it was 21 November
- 2018, it was 15 November
It is necessary to learn about pancreatic cancer because it is the 14th most prevalent cancer and is the 7th leading cause of death worldwide. The awareness of pancreatic cancer is very important due to the fact that most people know about this cancer after the disease takes away their half life and at the advanced stage. The patients are knowing the signs and symptoms of this cancer mainly at the end stages so the treatment options are getting very difficult. The risk factors and symptoms are not most familiar so there is no specific test to detect pancreatic cancer to detect it in the early stage.
In this month of november there will be empowerment, education, inspiration to the patients and their family members with pancreatic cancer. It is trivial that people have to understand and so they can create awareness to others and join this journey for the prevention of this cancer. It is the most important time to make the world aware of the stories of the patients, help in funding research and create motivation to cancer patients.
Some ways to get participated during world pancreas awareness day:
- Giving a donation will help the people who cannot afford the treatment for cancer. It also helps in providing awareness among the people and will provide encouragement to the people to live their life with quality of life and confidence.
- Following social media or websites, blogs, journals that have been shared by the hospitals, cancer centers and cancer patients will help us to understand more information about cancer.
- Joining in the community where the events and activities are organized to know what is happening around you. It is to give confidence that you are not alone in the cancer fight.
- Try to contact or be a fundraiser, to create any events or activities in any community to create awareness on pancreatic cancer. To provide support for the funding to perform research, to support services and other formalities.
- Ask for a place in your town or community to create awareness on pancreatic cancer. To have proceedings in the council to recognise officially about the disease and other information. You can also ask schools, colleges, local shopkeepers to hang the poster or to share the pamphlets with the signs, treatment and preventive measures for pancreatic cancer.
- Having a conversation that helps to share the information on the social platform and get networking to express about pancreatic cancer. You can post your own story, post, slogans and get awareness by the awareness materials that are available from the online library resources.
- Wearing purple to create awareness, as it honors Rose Schneider’s favorite color, purple. It’s her daughter’s effort to raise awareness on pancreatic cancer So, the color itself is identified and will raise awareness.
- Educating yourself and others by learning the symptoms, risk factors, treatment on pancreatic cancer and sharing information to friends and family members.
To sum up with statistics, during 2011, pancreatic cancer survival rate for five-year was 3% only whereas in 2021 it was 8% due to the effect of conducting the campaign on pancreatic cancer awareness. Due to COVID-19 there was a decrease to 7.3% in 2024 as it is indicating that there is a need for a lot more hard work.
Risk Factors
There are many factors that will increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. They are:
- A most known risk factor is smoking
- Overweight will also increase the risk
- Mostly above the age 50 is also increasing the risk
- A inflammation for long duration of time will also increase the risk
- Genetic mutations and family history will also play an important role in increasing the risk
Signs
Most of the signs for this pancreatic cancer will not be noticeable in the early stages. The most common signs are:
- Continuous pain in the lower abdomen
- Jaundice, mostly skin and eyes changes to yellow color
- Sudden weight loss
- Appetite loss
- Vomiting
To increase the rate of survival in pancreatic cancer patients, early diagnosis plays an important role. But there will be rapid growth in the cancer cells and it is very difficult to diagnose and treat. Regular check-ups, awareness of the risk factors and signs will help in early detection and provide good treatment.
The main motto of this month is to take time to educate all, share stories of the cancer survivors, advocate for more research and best treatments. From several organizations in the World, people participated in several activities in purple clothes. It is a form of calling people to help and so we can save the lives of cancer patients. Our Punarjan Ayurveda experts and all together can guide you in all corners and make a big difference in bringing a hope to fight against pancreatic cancer.