World Pancreatic Cancer Day is November 17

One-day campaign aims to raise awareness about only major cancer with
five-year survival rate in single digits

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#InItTogether–The third annual World
Pancreatic Cancer Day will take place Thursday, Nov. 17, to raise awareness
about pancreatic cancer and create hope for those fighting the deadly
disease. The one-day campaign is a global initiative led by the World
Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, which comprises more than 50 pancreatic
cancer advocacy organizations from over 20 countries.

Pancreatic cancer is the only major cancer with a five-year
survival rate in the single digits. Despite advancements in treating
other major cancers, there is still no early detection method for
pancreatic cancer. Every day, an estimated 1,006 people worldwide are
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and an estimated 985 die from it.

“While we’ve seen continued improvement in survival rates among most
major cancers in the past decade, the five-year survival rate for
pancreatic cancer has remained unchanged for nearly 50 years,” said Ali
Stunt, World Pancreatic Cancer Day chair. “Global awareness is the
first step to demand more research funding and develop better resources
to improve patient outcomes.”

World Pancreatic Cancer Day organizers are encouraging people to
raise awareness and show that we are #InItTogether
by doing the following on Nov. 17:

• Wear purple
• On social media channels, post photos with friends, family and
  colleagues supporting the day using the hashtags #WPCD and
  #InItTogether
• Connect with local pancreatic cancer advocacy organizations to be more
  involved

According to a global survey, almost 60 percent of people know
“almost nothing” about pancreatic cancer. Advocates hope
greater awareness will lead to the following:

• Improve public awareness about the disease and its symptoms
• Increase enrollment in clinical trials to improve treatment options
• Stimulate education and knowledge-sharing in the medical community
• Encourage legislative action and support that could translate into
  increased research funding

Global awareness will be increased by people joining the World
Pancreatic Cancer Day campaign through social media and local activities.

To learn
more about how you can show the world that we’re in it together to
improve outcomes and create a brighter future for those fighting the
deadly disease, please visit worldpancreaticcancerday.org.

About
World Pancreatic Cancer Day

World Pancreatic Cancer Day (WPCD), a day dedicated to raising global
awareness of pancreatic cancer, occurs in November during Pancreatic
Cancer Awareness Month. WPCD is an initiative of the World Pancreatic
Cancer Coalition, a committee of patient advocacy organizations from
around the world. The goal of WPCD is to drive an online conversation
about awareness of the disease and the need for more research and
funding to fight it.

Contacts

The Richards Group
Kurt Watkins, 214-891-7624
kurt_watkins@richards.com