Dr Siouxsie Wiles took time out from her incredibly busy life to highlight GCF’s ‘Its About Time’ pancreatic awareness campaign. In her article on Stuff.co.nz, Dr Wiles said that;
“Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate amongst all major cancers. Around the world, and here in Aotearoa New Zealand, pancreatic cancer is the only major cancer with a single-digit survival rate.
A heart-breaking 92 per cent of pancreatic cancer patients die within five years of being diagnosed. Each year, more than 560 people in New Zealand are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Worryingly, rates here are rising.
Sadly, the cause of the majority of pancreatic cancer cases remains a mystery and there is currently no way to screen for it.
The Gut Cancer Foundation is on a mission to increase survival rates, life expectancy and quality of life for gut cancer patients in New Zealand. As well as supporting patients, the foundation raises funds to provide fellowships for researchers and to help run clinical trials of new treatments.”
We are grateful to Dr Wiles for highlighting this vital issue.