Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is often found late because early symptoms are vague. Knowing the signs, and getting new or unusual symptoms checked, gives the best chance of finding it earlier.
Symptoms to know
- Jaundice: yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, pale stools, itchy skin, often without pain
- Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
- Pain in the upper tummy or the back, sometimes worse lying down
- Pale, oily, smelly stools that are hard to flush
- New diabetes after 50, especially with weight loss, or diabetes that suddenly becomes harder to control
- Indigestion, bloating, nausea or feeling full quickly that doesn’t settle
- A blood clot in a leg vein without an obvious cause
These are far more often caused by something else. But if they’re new, persistent or unexplained, get them checked.
Who is at higher risk
- Age: most people are over 65
- Smoking: current smokers have roughly 1.8 times the risk of non-smokers. Risk falls after quitting
- Close relatives with pancreatic cancer, or inherited gene changes (such as BRCA2 or Lynch syndrome)
- Long-term (chronic) pancreatitis
- Type 2 diabetes and obesity
Tests and treatment
- Blood tests (liver tests, sometimes CA19-9) and a CT scan are usually the first steps. CA19-9 alone can’t diagnose or rule it out.
- Surgery offers the best chance of cure when the cancer hasn’t spread. The Whipple operation, refined by Allen Whipple in 1935, is the classic procedure.
- Chemotherapy is used before or after surgery, or to control the cancer and symptoms when surgery isn’t possible.
- Early palliative care improves comfort: pain control, enzyme capsules for digestion, and help with nutrition and diabetes.
The numbers in Australia
- About 4,800 new diagnoses and about 4,000 deaths estimated in 2025.
- Five-year survival has risen from about 3% (1987–1991) to 14% (2017–2021). Still low, but improving.
See your GP if
- You notice yellow skin or eyes (see a doctor the same day)
- You’ve lost weight without trying
- You’ve been newly diagnosed with diabetes and are also losing weight
- You have upper tummy or back pain, indigestion or stool changes that won’t settle
- Two or more close relatives have had pancreatic cancer: ask about family risk
Common questions
What are the early signs of pancreatic cancer?
Often vague: indigestion, upper tummy or back pain, loss of appetite and weight loss. Jaundice (yellow skin or eyes), pale oily stools and new diabetes with weight loss are important signs to get checked.
Is there a screening test for pancreatic cancer?
Not for the general population. People with a strong family history or certain inherited gene changes may be offered surveillance through a specialist clinic.
Can new diabetes be a sign of pancreatic cancer?
Occasionally. Pancreatic cancer can reduce insulin production. New diabetes after 50, especially with weight loss, should be discussed with your GP.
What is a Whipple procedure?
An operation that removes the head of the pancreas, part of the small bowel, the gallbladder and the bile duct, then reconnects the digestive system. It’s used for tumours in the head of the pancreas.
What is the survival rate for pancreatic cancer?
In Australia, about 14% of people are alive five years after diagnosis (2017–2021), up from about 3% in the late 1980s. Outcomes are much better when the cancer can be removed by surgery.
Does smoking cause pancreatic cancer?
Smoking is one of the main preventable risk factors. Current smokers have about 1.8 times the risk of people who never smoked, and the risk falls over the years after quitting.
Helpful resources
- Pancreatic Cancer AustraliaInformation and support for patients and families. Free.
- Cancer Council 13 11 20Free information and support line for anyone affected by cancer.
Evidence and more information
- Cancer Australia: Pancreatic cancer statistics (AIHW data)
- Pancreatic Cancer UK: Signs and symptoms
- Tobacco in Australia: Pancreatic cancer
maladywise.com/pancreatic-cancer/