Americans are dangerously ignorant about the symptoms of cancer, research suggests.
A recent survey by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network found eight in 10 adults are unaware of the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer, the deadliest kind.
The research also found that fewer than half of adults could identify the most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer, which include abdominal or back pain.
Just 5 percent of people diagnosed with this form of the disease live longer than five years, in part because its symptoms are dismissed or go unnoticed.
And a coalition of cancer charities have warned that awareness about other forms of cancer is also low, despite early diagnosis being key for the best chance of survival.
This is a particular concern, experts say, given the rise of ‘early-onset’ cancers in the US and globally.
DailyMail.com has devised a quiz, which asks respondents to identify all the symptoms for eight types of cancer from a set list.
The answers are revealed at the very bottom of this article.
Less than one fifth of Americans know the tell-tale signs of some of the deadliest cancers, according to a study
In the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s survey, which was conducted by an independent research firm in October 2022, 1,045 respondents across the US were quizzed on their cancer knowledge.
Only one in six adults (17 percent) said they thought they knew the signs or symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
Two in three adults who believed they knew a sign or symptom of pancreatic cancer (66 percent) named one or more types of pain.
This most often included abdominal and stomach pain.
The American Cancer Society says other notable symptoms include fatigue, jaundice, weight loss, blood clots, nausea and vomiting.
In the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s survey, researchers found females were better at correctly identifying signs or symptoms of pancreatic cancer, compared to males and younger adults.
A more recent study, along the same lines, shows that awareness is improving but there is still work to be done.
For this survey, commissioned by the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, respondents were asked about risk factors for pancreatic cancer.
US actress Olivia Munn was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and had four operations in 10 months
Rates of breast cancer in under 50 year-olds have ticked up over the past two decades. Munn was given her breast cancer diagnosis at age 43
More than half (53 percent) of adults under age 50 said they would not recognize the early signs or symptoms of the disease, and more than one third (37 percent) believe there is nothing they can do to change their risk of pancreatic cancer.
More than one third (33 percent) also wrongly believe only older adults are at risk.
Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate, says the knowledge gaps are concerning, especially as pancreatic cancer rates are on the rise.
She revealed: ‘Pancreatic cancer rates have been rising by about 1 percent annually, and we are seeing this disease in people who are in their 40s much more regularly.
‘This is a concerning trend, and one for which research is needed to learned why.’
Ms Cruz-Monserrate says reducing risk for pancreatic cancer could start with maintaining a healthy weight.
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 1 in 3 Americans is overweight, and more than 2 in 5 are clinically obese.
Obesity alone increases a person’s lifetime risk for pancreatic cancer by 20 percent.
On the flip side, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that just 10 percent of pancreatic cancers are linked to inherited gene changes.
‘You can’t change your genes, but you can change your lifestyle. For most people obesity is within someone’s power to change. It also increases a person’s risk for type 2 diabetes, other cancers and cardiovascular disease,’ said Ms Cruz-Monserrate.
More than 66,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2024, with less than 13 percent reaching five-years of survival, according to ACS estimates.
About 20 million cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2022, but that number is projected to balloon to more than 35 million cases by 2050
The above shows the most common type of cancer in each country
Other modifiable lifestyle factors believed to reduce your lifetime risk for pancreatic cancer include limiting or eliminating alcohol consumption, regular moderate exercise and a plant-based diet with limited red or processed meat.
More than half of survey respondents (54 percent) said they knew that genetic testing helps people understand if they should be screened for pancreatic cancer.
Researchers are now investigating effective ways of screening for early signs of pancreatic cancer, including minimally invasive ways of spotting pancreatic cysts, and understanding the roles of diabetes and chronic pancreatitis in pancreatic cancer risk.
Ms Cruz-Monserrate said: ‘This disease is too often a silent killer, with no symptoms until it has progressed to less treatable stages.
‘We must continue to aggressively pursue research that will help us prevent, diagnose and treat this disease more effectively.’
Answers
1. What are the symptoms of liver cancer?
a) Jaundice (yellowing of your skin)
b) Feeling very tired and weak
c) Unintentional weight loss
d) Pain or swelling in your abdomen
f) Feeling and being sick
h) Speech or vision problems
j) Feeling very full after eating
2. What are the symptoms of a brain tumor?
a) Vision or speech problems
d) Mental or behavioral changes
e) Nausea or vomiting
f) Difficulty swallowing
g) Jaundice (yellowing of your skin)
3. What are the symptoms of esophageal cancer?
b) Loss of appetite and weight loss
d) Persistent indigestion or heartburn
f) Jaundice (yellowing of your skin)
g) Pain in stomach, chest or back
i) Tiredness or shortness of breath
j) Speech or vision problems
k) Difficulty swallowing
4. What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
b) Loss of appetite and weight loss
c) A thickened area of skin on the breast that feels different
d) Changes in the color of the breast skin
e) A nipple that looks flattened or turns inward
f) Jaundice (yellowing of your skin)
g) Pain in stomach, chest or back
i) Tiredness or shortness of breath
j) Speech or vision problems
5. What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
a) A cough that does not go away
b) Speech or vision problems
c) Weight loss and loss of appetite
e) Chest pain that is often worse with deep breathing, coughing or laughing
g) Jaundice (yellowing of your skin)
h) Feeling tired or weak
6. What are the symptoms of stomach cancer?
b) Feeling bloated after eating
c) Jaundice (yellowing of your skin)
d) Feeling full very quickly when eating
e) Speech or vision problems
j) Difficulty swallowing
7. What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
b) Pain in the back or stomach area
c) Chest pain that is often worse with deep breathing, coughing or laughing
d) Jaundice (yellowing of your skin)
e) Unexpected weight loss
8. What are the symptoms of colon cancer?
a) A change in bowel habits
b) Losing weight without trying
e) Blood in the stool
f) A lump in the anus or rectum
g) Weakness or tiredness
