Pancreatic cancer occurs when a malignant tumour forms in the pancreas.
In Northern Ireland approximately 260 people are diagnosed each year. In the whole of the UK, approximately 10,000 people are newly diagnosed each year.
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Pancreatic cancer affects men and women equally with incidence increasing from the age of 45.
The average age for men at diagnosis is 72, women is 74.
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From 2009-2013 cases among males increased by 29.9% from an annual average of 107 cases in to 139 cases in 2014-2018.
From 2009-2013 cases among females increased by 6.0% from an annual average of 116 cases in to 123 cases in 2014-2018.
Survival from pancreatic cancer is strongly related to age at diagnosis with five-year survival decreasing as age increases.
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Five-year net survival ranged from 13.8% among patients aged 15-54 at diagnosis to 1.7% among those aged 75 and over.
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​Five-year net survival among pancreatic cancer patients aged 75 and over was 1.1% for men and 2.1% for women.
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At the end of 2018, there were 289 people (Males: 162; Females: 127) living with pancreatic cancer who had been diagnosed with the disease during 1994-2018.
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Of these, 56.1% were male, 57.4% were aged 70 and over, and 43.9% had been diagnosed in the previous year.
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​For further information & statistics see Northern Ireland Cancer Registry website Here
