Cancer is now the most common cause of death in the world; The second most common in the U.S. (behind cardiovascular disease). Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer mortality (behind lung cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer). It is the third most common cause of cancer death in men and the fifth in women.
250 people in North America and Europe will die TODAY from pancreatic cancer. (100,000 deaths per year).
The U.S. National Cancer Institute funds pancreatic cancer research at shockingly low levels (year 2005-07 figures). Pancreatic cancer research receives (per mortality):
- 15% of the funding of breast cancer (but causes 82% of the mortality)
- 17% of the funding of prostate cancer (but causes more mortality)
- 41% of the funding of colorectal cancer (but causes 63% of the mortality)
Pancreatica.org continues to support legislative and other efforts aimed at increasing the funding for pancreatic cancer treatment and research at the U.S. Federal level and at the States level.