Published on 1 August 2024
Did you know that there is a registry for families with histories of pancreatic cancer so that they can be monitored for developing the disease?
Healthcare professionals can now refer people with a family history of pancreatic cancer to the European Registry of Hereditary Pancreatic Diseases (EUROPAC) for annual surveillance.
Around 10% of pancreatic cancers are caused by inherited risk factors. These can occur in families with a history of either pancreatic cancer or hereditary pancreatitis or in people who carry an at-risk genetic mutation. NICE guidance (NG85) recommends pancreatic cancer surveillance for people with inherited high-risk factors.
Pancreatic cancer is the 10th most common cancer in the UK. It is difficult to detect, is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, and survival rates are extremely poor. One in four people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in England survive their disease for one year or more, with emergency presentation the most common route to diagnosis.
The EUROPAC team welcomes self-referrals from individuals concerned about family history of pancreatic cancer.
If you want more information on EUROPAC, contact Cheshire and Merseyside’s EUROPAC surveillance navigator, Kayleigh Jevons, on Kayleigh.jevons2@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
People can get in touch with EUROPAC through the ‘contact us’ section of the EUROPAC website, or by emailing europac@liv.ac.uk or calling 0151 795 1256.