The sixth most common cause of cancer death,1 pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest 5 years survival rates.2 Often diagnosed too late, this form of cancer is experiencing a sharp uptick. Cases are expected to increase by more than 70% between 2020 and 2040.3 Some populations, notably in Asia, are now more affected than others. Pancreatic cancer is on a steady rise in Asia, partly due to changes in lifestyle behaviors and dietary habits. More explanations below.
Pancreatic cancer, a still poorly diagnosed disease
Pancreatic cancer is now one of the most dreaded forms of cancer, due in part to its late diagnosis and resistance to treatment found in many patients. The disease often remains undetected until an advanced stage, when treatment options are limited. Indeed, 60% of cases are not identified until the metastatic stage, and as a result one-third of patients cannot be operated on at the point of diagnosis due to the advanced stage of the disease.4
The main explanation is that the disease is particularly hard to diagnose. Symptoms of pancreatic cancer are often nonspecific and may include stomach pains, unexplained weight loss, jaundice, and digestive problems. Sadly, these signs usually appear when the cancer is already at an advanced stage.
A rapidly growing disease in Asia
Asian populations are facing an unprecedented rise in pancreatic cancer cases. Once less affected, they are now seeing a significant rise in prevalence rates: in 2018, 46% of the world’s new cases were among people in Asia or Australia.7
There are several reasons for this. Firstly, changes in lifestyle behaviors, with people leading less physically active lives, and in dietary behaviors, with diets that are higher in saturated fat. Alcohol and tobacco consumption is another factor influencing the emergence of pancreatic cancer. Finally, in some countries, access to treatment requires the setting up of local clinical trials, which may delay delivery of care to patients.
The Chinese population is highly prone to the disease. In 2022, 118,672 new pancreatic cancer cases and 106,295 deaths were reported in China.8 These figures can be linked to tobacco consumption in the country. According to FAO, in China, “the annual consumption of cigarettes per smoker is around 240 packs.”9
At particular risk, Japan reported 47,627 new cases and 43,265 deaths in 2022.10 Pancreatic cancer is now the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the country.11 GlobalData epidemiologists predict an increase in diagnosed cases in Japan of an annual growth rate of 1.50 %.12 This increase is due in particular to the rapidly ageing Japanese population and the changes to dietary habits which have led to a rise in risk factors. The high incidence rate of pancreatic cancer in Japan is of particular concern because of the disease’s high fatality rate. Indeed, approximately 60-80%12 of patients in Japan already have metastasis at the point of diagnosis, and their survival rate is very low.
Preventing pancreatic cancer: more awareness and testing
Faced with this unprecedented increase, national initiatives are being launched to improve the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, which remains still hard to detect. The aim is to promote detection of the disease when it is at an earlier stage by raising awareness among at-risk populations.
This is the case of Servier Nihon, the Group’s Japanese subsidiary, which is involved in several initiatives to raise awareness of the importance of diagnosis. Of the firm belief that information is a first step in coming to terms with the disease, Servier Nihon set up a site dedicated to pancreatic cancer where patients and their loved ones can find a wide range of useful information about the treatments available depending on the stage of the disease, the costs of treatment, and advice on different types of help and support for living with the disease.
If pancreatic cancer is detected early enough, the five-year survival chances for the patient are much higher: 44% for the disease at an early stage.13 Hence the value of prevention. This primarily relies on lifestyle changes and improved medical monitoring. Screening is recommended starting at age 50, or 10 years earlier in cases of genetic predisposition.14, 15
Servier is committed to improving the care of patients with pancreatic cancer by integrating cutting-edge technologies such as digital twins and causal artificial intelligence (AI). These innovations enable the digital reproduction of bodily processes to simulate and analyze the responses to treatment, identifying specific biomarkers and subsetting patients according to their therapeutic response. With these advances, researchers can test new treatments faster and customize care for each patient, increasing the chances of a successful outcome.
[1] WHO Cancer Today – https://gco.iarc.fr/today/en/dataviz/bars?mode=cancer&cancers=13&types=1&group_populations=1&populations=903_904_905_908_909_935&key=total&sort_by=value0
[2] Recent estimates and predictions of 5-year survival rate in patients with pancreatic cancer: A model-based period analysis – PMC – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9773388/
[3] Global Trend in Pancreatic Cancer Prevalence Rates Through 2040: An Illness‐Death Modeling Study – PMC (Ferlay J, Laversanne M, and Ervik M, Global Cancer Observatory: Cancer Tomorrow (Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2020).) – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11497012/
[4] Cancer Facts & Figures 2023 | American Cancer Society – https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/all-cancer-facts-figures/2023-cancer-facts-figures.html
[5] Pancreatic Cancer Risk Factors | American Cancer Society – https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/pancreatic-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/risk-factors.html
[6] Pancreatic Cancer in Chronic Pancreatitis: Pathogenesis and Diagnostic Approach – PMC – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9913572/#:~:text=Simple%20Summary,an%20age%20of%2060%20years.
[7] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8343088/ – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8343088/
[8] Source : IARC Global Cancer Observatory https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwijq6uoluaJAxUTUaQEHQoRBgMQFnoECBgQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgco.iarc.who.int%2Fmedia%2Fglobocan%2Ffactsheets%2Fpopulations%2F160-china-fact-sheet.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0VWYnRONiAuzTv8eaBkrb9&opi=89978449
[9] https://www.fao.org/4/y4997f/y4997f07.htm – https://www.fao.org/4/y4997f/y4997f07.htm#:~:text=Le%20nombre%20estim%C3%A9%20de%20fumeurs,les%20statistiques%20de%20la%20consommation).
[10] Global Cancer Observatory, International Agency for Research on Cancer / World Health Organization : https://gco.iarc.who.int/media/globocan/factsheets/populations/392-japan-fact-sheet.pdf
[11] https://gco.iarc.who.int/media/globocan/factsheets/populations/392-japan-fact-sheet.pdf
[12] Burden of pancreatic cancer is higher in Japan than other markets – https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/analyst-comment/pancreatic-cancer-japan/
[13] https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2024/liquid-biopsy-detects-pancreatic-cancer
[14] https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/resource/pt/wpr-180018
[15] Prise en charge des patients présentant un risque accru de cancer du pancréas familial (recommandations et mises à jour du consortium international de dépistage du cancer du pancréas 2020) – FMC-HGE – https://www.fmcgastro.org/texte-postu/postu-2022/prise-en-charge-des-patients-presentant-un-risque-accru-de-cancer-du-pancreas-familial-recommandations-et-mises-a-jour-du-consortium-international-de-depistage-du-cancer-du-pancreas-2020/#:~:text=%2D%20les%20agr%C3%A9gations%20familiales%20non%20syndromiques,%27imagerie%2C%20piliers%20du%20d%C3%A9pistage.