Hansard

I thank Clare Adamson for bringing the motion to Parliament for debate this evening. I apologise for not being able to attend the pancreatic cancer awareness event last night, but I was able to visit the pancan van—generously provided by Arnold Clark Automobiles—when it visited Aberdeen’s St Nicholas Street on Monday 12 November. I pay tribute to the three brave souls who endured a particularly cold day to hand out leaflets to raise awareness of the symptoms of and risks associated with pancreatic cancer. They told me that there was genuine interest from the members of the public who spoke to them, and that they were able to answer questions about pancreatic cancer, so it is great that the pancan van has been out around the country to raise awareness during pancreatic cancer awareness month.

I recommend the Pancreatic Cancer Scotland website for its wonderful information on the disease. The little leaflet that was given out during the pancan van visits to the cities around Scotland is very informative, too. Previously, I had not made the connection and realised that the pancreas, which we normally think of as producing the juices that help to digest food, is the organ that produces insulin. As we all know, that is really important for blood sugar levels. We get a lot of information about obesity and diabetes, but I had not understood the significance of blood sugar levels to pancreatic cancer.

It is disappointing that the causes of the majority of pancreatic cancer cases remain unknown, although—as with other cancers—being overweight, being a smoker or being diabetic, and having a family history of that type of cancer might be contributory factors, as is having had pancreatitis.

As other members said, pancreatic cancer has the lowest of all cancer survival rates, and the numbers have barely changed over the past five decades—not just in Scotland, but elsewhere. I am sure that if progress was made anywhere in the world, measures would be adopted in Scotland and elsewhere as quickly as possible in order to have better outcomes.

It is essential that the signs of possible pancreatic cancer are widely recognised so that diagnosis is made as early as possible and treatment can begin. I agree with other members that treatment should begin as quickly as possible for the cancer, because we know that that can have a good outcome, especially if the cancer has not spread to other organs—in which case, people can have a particular procedure, called the Whipple procedure.

Pancreatic Cancer Scotland’s website says that

“NHS treatment in Scotland is as good as anywhere in the world, and patients can rest assured that they will be looked after properly.”

As someone else said, it is absolutely vital that people have the support of family and friends and that they know what to do. Of course, that is where other organisations come into play, including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie and Maggie’s Centres, all of which are active in Aberdeen and elsewhere. I love that there is a Whipple warriors Facebook group, on which people who have had the Whipple procedure can share their experiences and advice.

Perhaps this is the place that Miles Briggs visited; research called precision panc is being funded and carried out in the Wolfson Wohl cancer research centre in Scotland, and elsewhere. The aim of the research is to improve diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. Increasingly, it uses understanding of genome sequencing. Again, Scotland is world-leading in diagnosing the disease.

I am sure that everyone here wishes that there will be a breakthrough in early diagnosis and treatment of what is a terrible disease.