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Cancer Survival Rates

If you were diagnosed with cancer today, what would your chances of survival be?

Ongoing medical research over the last 2 decades has seen the cancer survival rate of many common cancers increase by over 30%. However cancer remains a major cause of death in Australia.

For details of the survival rates of various cancers, please click here
 

Cancer - Pancreatic

 

The pancreas is a thin, lumpy gland that lies between your stomach and spine and plays a crucial role in digestion. It produces insulin, a hormone essential for controlling blood sugar levels, and other special enzymes that help to digest food. The pancreatic duct joins the pancreas to the small intestine. Pancreatic cancer is an abnormal uncontrolled growth of cells that begins in the lining of the pancreatic duct and spreads into the body of the pancreas. It grows within the pancreas and may cause the bile duct to become obstructed. It subsequently moves into the blood vessels and nerves around the pancreas. The cancer may then also spread via the lymphatic system to other parts of the body causing secondary cancers.

Due to difficulties in diagnosis, the intrinsic aggressive nature of pancreatic cancer and the sparse treatment options available, less than 1 in 20 pancreatic patients survive more than 5 years after diagnosis. Many do not make it past the first twelve months.

 
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in men and women in Western societies.
 

News

 

Glimpse the future of medical research at Garvan Open Day

MEDIA RELEASE: 18 Jul 2008
Garvan will open its doors on Sunday 17th August from 10am to 1pm for Open Day, giving the public the opportunity to meet and talk with leading scientists and learn about the future of science and medicine from some of the sharpest minds in Australia.
 
 

The molecule that can switch appetite off and on

05 Nov 2007
Researchers from the St Vincent’s Campus have identified the molecule responsible for the extreme weight loss common in late stage cancer. The findings published online in Nature Medicine suggest it may soon be possible to prevent this condition, giving people the strength to survive treatment. Conversely, the knowledge also suggests a way to switch off appetite in obese people.
 
 

Related Research Groups

 

Pancreatic Cancer


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