Americans are dangerously ignorant about the symptoms of cancer, research suggests.
A recent survey by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network found that eight in 10 adults are unaware of the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer, the deadliest type.
The study also found that less than half of adults could identify the most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer, including abdominal or back pain.
Only 5 percent of people diagnosed with this form of the disease live longer than five years, partly because symptoms are dismissed or go unnoticed.
And a coalition of cancer charities has warned that awareness of other cancers is also low, despite early diagnosis being crucial for the best chances of survival.
This is a particular concern, experts say, given the rise of early-onset cancers in the U.S. and worldwide.
DailyMail.com has come up with a quiz, asking respondents to identify all the symptoms of eight types of cancer from a set list.
You will find the answers at the very bottom of this article.
Less than a fifth of Americans know the signs of some of the deadliest cancers, according to a survey
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network survey, conducted in October 2022 by an independent research firm, asked 1,045 respondents in the US about their knowledge of cancer.
Only one in six adults (17 percent) said they thought they knew the signs or symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
Two in three adults who thought they knew a sign or symptom of pancreatic cancer (66 percent) mentioned one or more types of pain.
This usually included abdominal and stomach pain.
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The American Cancer Society says other notable symptoms include fatigue, jaundice, weight loss, blood clots, nausea and vomiting.
In the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network survey, researchers found that women were better at correctly identifying signs or symptoms of pancreatic cancer, compared to men 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 research, carried out on behalf of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, respondents were asked about risk factors for pancreatic cancer.
American actress Olivia Munn was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and underwent four operations in ten months
The number of breast cancer cases in children under 50 has increased over the past twenty years. Munn was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 43
More than half (53 percent) of adults under 50 said they would not recognize the early signs or symptoms of the disease, and more than a third (37 percent) believe there is nothing they can do to reduce their risk of pancreatic cancer to change.
More than a third (33 percent) also incorrectly believe that only older adults are at risk.
Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Researcher Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate says the knowledge gaps are concerning, especially as the number of pancreatic cancers is increasing.
She revealed: ‘The number of pancreatic cancers has been increasing by around 1 per cent every year, and we are seeing this disease much more often in people in their 40s.
“This is a worrying trend that requires research to determine why.”
Ms. Cruz-Monserrate says reducing the risk of 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 of pancreatic cancer by 20 percent.
On the other hand, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that only 10 percent of pancreatic cancers are linked to inherited gene changes.
‘You cannot change your genes, but you can change your lifestyle. For most people, obesity is within one’s power to change. It also increases a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes, other cancers and cardiovascular disease,” says Ms. Cruz-Monserrate.
According to ACS estimates, more than 66,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2024, with less than 13 percent achieving a five-year survival rate.
About 20 million cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2022, but this number is expected to rise to more than 35 million cases by 2050
The above shows the most common cancer in each country
Other modifiable lifestyle factors thought to reduce your lifetime risk of 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 respondents (54 percent) said they knew genetic testing helps people understand whether they should be screened for pancreatic cancer.
Researchers are now investigating effective ways to screen for early signs of pancreatic cancer, including minimally invasive ways to detect pancreatic cysts, and to understand the role 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 more effectively prevent, diagnose and treat this disease.”
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 sick 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 digestive problems or heartburn
f) Jaundice (yellowing of your skin)
g) Pain in stomach, chest or back
i) Fatigue 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 chest 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) Fatigue or shortness of breath
j) Speech or vision problems
5. What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
a) A cough that doesn’t go away
b) Speech or vision problems
c) Weight loss and loss of appetite
e) Chest pain that often worsens 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) Bloating after eating
c) Jaundice (yellowing of your skin)
d) Feeling full very quickly while 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 often worsens 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) Lose weight without trying
e) Blood in the stool
f) A lump in the anus or rectum
g) Weakness or fatigue