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Americans are dangerously ignoring cancer symptoms, research suggests.
A recent survey by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network found that eight in 10 adults are unaware of the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer, the deadliest type.
The research also found that less than half of adults could identify the most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer, which include abdominal or back pain.
Only 5 percent of people diagnosed with this form of the disease live more than five years, in part because their symptoms are ignored or go unnoticed.
And a coalition of cancer charities has warned that awareness of other forms of cancer is also low, despite early diagnosis being key to better chances of survival.
This is a particular concern, experts say, given the rise in “early-onset” cancers in the U.S. and around the world.
DailyMail.com has devised a questionnaire that asks respondents to identify all the symptoms of eight types of cancer from a set list.
The answers are revealed at the end of this article.
Less than a fifth of Americans know the telltale signs of some of the deadliest cancers, according to one study.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network survey, conducted by an independent research company in October 2022, asked 1,045 respondents across the United States about their knowledge about cancer.
Only one in six adults (17 percent) said they thought they knew the signs or symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
Two out of three adults who thought they knew a sign or symptom of pancreatic cancer (66 percent) named one or more types of pain.
This most commonly included abdominal and stomach pain.
The American Cancer Society says other notable symptoms include fatigue, jaundice, weight loss, blood clots, nausea and vomiting.
In the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network survey, researchers found that women were better at correctly identifying signs or symptoms of pancreatic cancer, compared to men and younger adults.
A more recent study, along the same lines, shows that awareness is improving but there is still work to do.
For this survey, commissioned by the Ohio At the State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, respondents were asked about risk factors for pancreatic cancer.
American actress Olivia Munn was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and had four operations in 10 months.
Breast cancer rates in people under 50 have increased over the past two decades. Munn received her breast cancer diagnosis at age 43.
More than half (53 percent) of adults under 50 said they would not recognize the early signs or symptoms of the disease, and more than a third (37 percent) believe there is nothing they can do to change their risk of pancreatic cancer.
More than a third (33 percent) also mistakenly believe that only older adults are at risk.
Ohio Comprehensive Cancer Center of the State University Researcher Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate says the knowledge gaps are worrying, especially because pancreatic cancer rates are increasing.
She revealed: ‘Pancreatic cancer rates have increased by about 1 per cent annually, and we are seeing this disease in people in their 40s much more regularly.
“This is a worrying trend and research is needed to find out why.”
Cruz-Monserrate says reducing the risk of pancreatic cancer could start with maintaining a healthy weight.
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 1 in 3 Americans is overweight and more than 2 in 5 are clinically obese.
Obesity alone increases a person’s lifetime risk of pancreatic cancer by 20 percent.
On the other hand, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that only 10 percent of pancreatic cancers are related to inherited genetic changes.
‘You can’t change your genes, but you can change your lifestyle. For most people, obesity is within someone’s power to change it. It also increases a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes, other cancers and cardiovascular diseases,” said Ms Cruz-Monserrate.
More than 66,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2024, and fewer than 13 percent will reach five years of survival, according to ACS estimates.
Around 20 million cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2022, but that number is expected to increase to more than 35 million cases by 2050.
The above shows the most common type of cancer in each country.
Other modifiable lifestyle factors thought to reduce the lifetime risk of pancreatic cancer include limiting or eliminating alcohol consumption, regular moderate exercise, and a plant-based diet with little red or processed meat. .
More than half of respondents (54 percent) said they knew that genetic testing helps people understand whether they should be screened for pancreatic cancer.
Researchers are now investigating effective ways to detect early signs of pancreatic cancer, including minimally invasive ways to detect pancreatic cysts and understanding the role of diabetes and chronic pancreatitis in pancreatic cancer risk.
Ms Cruz-Monserrate said: “This disease is too often a silent killer, with no symptoms until it has progressed to less treatable stages.”
“We must continue to conduct aggressive research to help us prevent, diagnose and treat this disease more effectively.”
Answers
1. What are the symptoms of liver cancer?
a) Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
b) Feeling very tired and weak
c) Involuntary weight loss
d) Pain or swelling in the abdomen.
f) Feeling and being sick
h) Speech or vision problems
j) Feeling very full after eating
2. What are the symptoms of a brain tumor?
a) Vision or speech problems
d) Mental or behavioral changes
e) Nausea or vomiting
f) Difficulty swallowing
g) Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
3. What are the symptoms of esophageal cancer?
b) Loss of appetite and weight loss.
d) Persistent indigestion or heartburn
f) Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
g) Pain in the stomach, chest or back.
i) Tiredness or difficulty breathing
j) Speech or vision problems
k) Difficulty swallowing
4. What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
b) Loss of appetite and weight loss.
c) A thickened area of skin on the breast that feels different
d) Changes in the color of the breast skin.
e) A nipple that appears flattened or turns inward
f) Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
g) Pain in the stomach, chest or back.
i) Tiredness or difficulty breathing
j) Speech or vision problems
5. What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
a) Cough that does not go away
b) Speech or vision problems
c) Weight loss and loss of appetite.
e) Chest pain that usually worsens with deep breathing, coughing or laughing.
g) Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
h) Feeling tired or weak
6. What are the symptoms of stomach cancer?
b) Feeling bloated after eating
c) Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
d) Feeling full very quickly when eating
e) Speech or vision problems
j) Difficulty swallowing
7. What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
b) Pain in the back or stomach area.
c) Chest pain that usually worsens with deep breathing, coughing or laughing.
d) Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
e) Unexpected weight loss
8. What are the symptoms of colon cancer?
a) A change in intestinal habits.
b) Lose weight without trying
e) Blood in the stool
f) A lump in the anus or rectum.
g) Weakness or tiredness