FREE – 1 to 1 Funding – Pancreatic Cancer Diagnostic Testing

* NB: Wherever the words ‘us‘,  ‘we‘ and ‘facilitator‘ appear herein – reference is being made to the author / owner of this website

Pancreatic Cancer (PC) Diagnostic Testing – HOW?

Step 1: Potential recipients (PRs) of such testing must (typically) be referred to us by a (UK) General Practice (GP) doctor / UK equivalent

Step 2: Next, PRs must (without undue delay) provide us with specified, financial / other details (e.g. re themselves etc.) – which we will use to decide if a clear inability exists – re said PRs being able to fund such testing themselves; with help from family / friends etc. If such inability does exist and there are ‘acceptable (to us)’ reasons for why – we may then attempt to source the associated funding required

Step 3: The PR’s financial etc. situation / circumstances (as per ‘Step 2’ above) should, from that point on, not change (nor be reasonably anticipated to change) significantly ‘for the better’ – until (if) said financial assistance becomes available and all such PC diagnostic tests have been completed

However, if said (PR’s) financial etc. circumstances etc. do actually ‘improve’ significantly, we reserve the sole and absolute right / discretion to:

a). Withdraw / cease any financial assistance already offered / underway  – and

b). Seek repayment / recovery of any such financial assistance already made

We also reserve the sole and absolute right / discretion etc. to:

• Use / apply our own ‘meanings, interpretations, decisions, judgements, adjudications etc.’ (as appropriate / relevant) re the wording, associated meanings etc. used in this website (particularly re the intent of ‘steps 2 and 3’ documented further above)
• Likewise re the implementation, management etc. of all and any associated / consequent actions etc. – taken by us accordingly

If any of the above is not acceptable to any potential / actual PR, our services and resources etc. might not be provided / might be withdrawn

Note: Only potential RECIPIENTS (being UK citizens) living permanently in Cambridgeshire (incl. Peterborough), UK – can (for now [2023/4]) request our services as described herein. Should this project (going forwards) become sustainably successful, we would hope to widen its reach further throughout the UK

Note: It is recommended (but not essential) that potential FUNDERS be resident in the UK and, preferrably, are UK citizens

For most persons having PC – survival chances for more than a relatively short time, are typically low to very low. An associated, adverse factor is ‘age on diagnosis’ (i.e. advancing age typically = quicker / poorer outcomes)

PC Diagnostic Tests – WHY?

At time of writing this (late 2023), PC ‘signs / symptoms’ are still notoriously ‘vague’ – often mistaken (including by medical professionals) for other ‘ailments’ – many of which are relatively benign. Late PC diagnoses are thus common (i.e. when viable [early] treatment options are typically no longer effective / effective enough)

Current PC ‘treatments’ etc. are typically (but not always – e.g. mainly in younger persons and / or for the ‘very early diagnosis’ situation) only partially effective – for what, in overall cancer mortality terms, is a significantly short time period – before associated death

‘Pancreatic Cancer UK‘ data (2014-18) indicated that PC was the UK’s 10th most commonly occurring cancer (10,500 cases – 2018) at that time. It was also the 5th biggest ‘cancer killer’ (9,000 deaths) and had the lowest survival rate of all common cancers – 5 year survival being less than 7%

(Note: A separate study [‘CONCORD-3’/2018] identified significant, international variations re PC outcomes. The UK in particular lagged well behind in 5 year survival data, ranking only 29th out of the 33 countries participating. There was no compelling reason [as at 2023] to believe that this UK situation had changed / was yet changing significantly for the better [possibly excepting what is written in the ‘Some Light at the end of the Tunnel’ info found a little further below])

Early diagnosis is thus crucial to improving PC survival outcomes e.g. 1 year survival possibility at the earliest cancer stage diagnosable (stage 1) being (in the ‘least best performing’ parts of the UK) around 6 times more likely – than for that same possibility at the final stage 4

PC typically doesn’t ‘show’ signs / symptoms until it is ‘too late’ for most. Whilst this was still the general situation in 2023 – it seems likely that beneficial advances which really will ‘work’ – are not too far away!

Take a look at our ‘Useful Information‘ and ‘Useful Links‘ webpages for further details

PC Diagnostic Testing – THE PROBLEM!

The great majority of UK PC diagnoses were (period 2015-17) being made too late for potentially ‘good’ outcomes e.g. only 20% (1 in 5) being diagnosed at PC stages 1 – 2 …………. with 60% (3 in 5) at stages 3 – 4. (Presumably the other 20% died without ever being so diagnosed?). Furthermore, substantial UK geographical variation (in said diagnoses) existed at that time (and still did as at late 2023)

Also as at late 2023, early surgery (possibly combined with chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy etc.) was still the ONLY viable treatment which might have delivered ‘reasonably’ successful PC outcomes

Use of chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy alone provided a considerably lesser degree of survival, particularly in late stage PC (when surgery was typically no longer a viable option)

Unfortunately, far too many UK PC sufferers still did not benefit (again, as at late 2023) from adequate, associated treatment, as it (PC) was still highly likely to have been diagnosed too late – i.e. significant progress had not been made since the associated ‘Pancreatic Cancer UK’ list (as per further above) for 2014 – 2018 (extracted bullet point list just below refers) was published:

• 7 in 10  of known PC sufferers did not receive any active treatment whatsoever – excepting palliative care
• 1 in 10 received potentially curative surgery (possibly combined with associated chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy etc.)
• 2 in 10 received chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy (surgery no longer viable)

Important Update – 3rd Quarter 2023

See our ‘Useful Information’ webpage (link provided via horizontal menu at top of this / each webpage) and scroll down until you find the information article entitled ‘Some Light at the end of the Tunnel‘

It is worth reading the latter (as appropriate) – as it describes a relatively new diagnostic (blood) test (known as the ‘Galleri‘ test) for potentially ‘finding’ 50 types of cancer (to a greater or lesser degree – depending on the cancer type), including potentially good results for both types of pancreatic cancer

The UK NHS (UK Government’s National Health Service) etc. had been testing ‘Galleri’ for around 18 months+ (as at mid-2023), and will continue so doing through 2024 and 2025. So far things look significantly promising – particulalrly for the successful diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. However, do also note that only those selected for the trial in UK might benefit for now (i.e. until such time as [if] the UK NHS etc. approves and commences associated diagnostic testing itself [as appropriate] – which is a few years away in the future [again, at time of writing this])

However, it is distinctly possible that UK persons wishing to take the Galleri test now / today / soon etc. may be able so to do by travelling to the USA and taking the test there. There will be a financial cost for all of this of course – very roughly thought to be up to GBP £3-4,000 total – which includes associated travel, accommodation etc. and the test itself + results. Again, you will find more detail on our (separate) ‘Useful Information’ webpage

Note: The Galleri test uses a ‘procedure’ known as ‘liquid biopsy‘ – to produce its cancer test results, as referred to above. A number of other organisations (similar to the organisation ‘Grail’ – which produces the Galleri test) are currently doing likewise. However, it would seem that Grail is the current leader in this field, at time of writing this