HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and ABC Action News is working to spread awareness of this disease.
According to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.
Thomas Mitchell lost his wife, Laurel, to pancreatic cancer in March. Now, he's working to spread awareness and prevent that tragedy from happening to other families.
“My wife wanted me to be involved with this group so that other people, other families like us wouldn’t be torn apart like this,” Mitchell said.
According to PANCAN the known risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer are:
- Family history
- Age
- Chronic or hereditary pancreatitis
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Long-standing diabetes
Symptoms can be the following:
- Abdominal or upper back pain
- Weight loss
- Nausea or loss of appetite
- Jaundice
- Changes in stool
- New onset diabetes
"Unfortunately, because the survival rate is so low, we do not have a lot of survivors, but we are blessed to have some survivors here in the Tampa Bay area," Christi Winsor, the Tampa Bay affiliate for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, said.
She explained the five-year survival rate is 12% for pancreatic cancer.
“It’s really critical to not ignore these symptoms and seek medical attention to rule out pancreatic cancer,” Winsor said.
Click here to read more about Pancreatic Cancer Prevention.
