FAMILY HISTORY OF PANCREATIC CANCER? GET TESTED NOW!

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. 

Individuals can get in touch with EUROPAC through the ‘contact us’ section of the EUROPAC website, emailing [email protected] or calling 0151 795 1256.

The testing includes:

• a CT scan
• an endoscopic ultrasound
• a blood test to check for the CA19-9 tumour marker (a chemical substance produced by pancreatic cancers that shows up in the bloodstream)
• a blood test to check the level of sugar in your blood.

Screening usually starts from the age of 40, sometimes earlier.

If the tests suggest a possible problem, you may be offered continued monitoring or more tests to confirm the findings.