Hansard

I, too, thank Clare Adamson for bringing the debate to the chamber today and for her continued passion and commitment to the cause. Unfortunately, I could not be there last night either, but we spoke at the event last year.

Last Thursday marked world pancreatic cancer day, and this month is pancreatic cancer awareness month. More than 50 per cent of patients have never heard of pancreatic cancer before their diagnosis, and half the population cannot name a single symptom of pancreatic cancer, which makes raising awareness all the more important. This debate is a great opportunity to thank and support the pancreatic cancer charities, which work extremely hard.

Often, it is during members’ debates that I learn about health conditions of which I have no personal experience—and this is no exception. Prior to the debate, I was not aware that pancreatic cancer is one of the least survivable cancers and the fifth most common cause of cancer death in Scotland. Nor was I aware that pancreatic cancer has an extremely low survival rate of 3 to 6 per cent. As we have heard, that is often due to late diagnosis. There are currently no screening or early detection tests, and as many as one in four people can die within a month of diagnosis, with many receiving no active treatment at all.

Early detection is vital to improving a person’s chance of survival, but the symptoms are not well enough known. It is estimated that 70 per cent of patients with pancreatic cancer go to the doctor initially due to pain that is often described as being in the stomach area and radiating around the upper back, because the tumour presses against the abdomen and spine.

I imagine that many people do not anticipate their diagnosis, which makes raising awareness even more important. Pancreatic cancer charities need our support to engage with local communities to help people identify key signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer and to raise the money that is needed to research early diagnosis. During pancreatic cancer awareness month, charities have campaigned for people to wear purple to help raise awareness and to create a discussion. That is why I have dug out the only purple top that I own, although it is probably not the most suitable top for Parliament.

In Glasgow this month, the Queen Elizabeth hospital, the Silverburn shopping centre and the Moss Heights flats have all been lit up to show support. All year round, charities such as Pancreatic Cancer Action offer awareness talks at workplaces and the resources for individuals to set up awareness stands in supermarkets, community centres and general practitioner surgeries. Now that I am aware of such initiatives, I will do my best as an MSP to spread the word through social media, and I will encourage others to do the same.

Faster treatment is, of course, key to more people surviving pancreatic cancer. As Monica Lennon said, Pancreatic Cancer UK has described the situation that we face with pancreatic cancer as a cancer emergency and has called for people with pancreatic cancer to be treated within 20 days of diagnosis. I whole-heartedly support that call.

Research into pancreatic cancer is also vital and, as an MSP for Glasgow, I want to highlight Cancer Research UK’s £10 million investment in the pioneering precision panc project, which is led by the clinical trials unit at the Beatson west of Scotland cancer centre in Glasgow. The project aims to transform pancreatic cancer trials in the UK.

I again thank Clare Adamson for highlighting an extremely important topic and the tireless work of the pancreatic cancer charities to raise awareness of the condition and raise the funds to find the early detection test that is so desperately needed. Given that one person in the UK dies every hour because of pancreatic cancer, the need for us all to raise awareness of the disease has never been more pertinent.