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Julie Fleshman and Lisa Niemi Swayze on how the incidence rate and death rate have increased in recent years
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Welcome back to on the hunt and foxnews.com.
Live you may not know -- pancreatic cancer.
He's the only one the of the current top five cancer killers which put the incidence rate.
And the death rate.
Have increased.
In recent years so what to do about that we're joined now from our DC bureau by June freshman who is president and CEO with the pancreatic.
Can -- action network and Lisa swayze.
National spokesperson for panic time -- -- pancreatic cancer.
And of course the widow of the great actor Patrick Swayze who died in 2009 from.
Pancreatic cancer Lisa first double to you.
Tell -- so bad you are -- late husband's struggle with pancreatic cancer.
Oh my god the first thing when he.
Was diagnosed as he turned to -- Saddam -- dead man.
Because he I didn't know much about pancreatic cancer but he's dead in the statistics are.
Absolutely brutal I the survival rate is in.
Kaiser what does that -- is 6%.
That.
Its five year survival rate.
He fought so valiantly against this disease what.
But he does so with a wing and a prayer and I hate to say that.
We wish that -- had more opportunities for a meaningful treatment but really we were pardoned from other diseases and it's.
Everyone who has this disease does serve some kind of -- and give -- some kind of tools to fight it.
-- what what is so.
Different about pancreatic cancer why is it so deadly.
There's no early detection -- an -- or.
Treatments for pancreatic cancer -- usually by the time it's diagnosed it's late stage it's very difficult to treat at that time.
Historically pay credit cancers -- underfunded by both publicly and pride of late so it's been very difficult to build a critical mass of researchers that are focused in the disease so that we can make progress.
So what's what needs to be done Juli is this all about money for -- for research.
Certainly -- resource says are needed but I think just as important it's creating a national.
Comprehensive strategic plan for the disease.
And that's what the pancreatic cancer research and education act which is before congress right now.
Would force the National Cancer Institute to create a national plan for pancreatic cancer.
Lisa do you believe that if there had been -- better techniques for early screening.
I said to you may have been able -- your husband may have been able to survive this.
Oh absolutely.
I mean it's amazing what -- that he survived 22 months with this -- because really after diagnosis because of the lack of early detection.
The average life expectancy is three to six months and I trust me during that time we -- it to a lot of people who have.
Add that who had this disease and that's exactly what happened the fact that these 522 months this amazing.
So yes if he'd had some kind of early detection of -- meaningful treatment options because like -- -- we work.
Who the best we could do is to go -- clinical trials and also borrow from treatments that belong to other cancers.
Julie as as as a -- person.
I know very little about pancreatic cancer.
You know we we hear about lung cancer and smoking is there anything other than genetics that leads to pancreatic cancer the people should be aware about.
Content there is hereditary risk of -- rest about 10% of cases are from -- -- but that's.
That said basically -- in a report that we've released today.
The pancreatic cancer incidence and death rates are increasing in this country.
And it incidence rate is really overall people are living longer and there's a different minority -- in the country.
But -- death rates are increasing.
Also which is different from either leading causes of cancer death.
And that's because we don't have early detection -- -- our treatment options for pancreatic cancer.
All right so and for our -- was watching this who.
Who want to help you who want to be more aware of themselves Lisa what do they do.
On my gosh if you go to our website pancreatic cancer action network gets pan and -- York.
It's that we're multifaceted.
Organization.
That's about creating.
It's.
Legislation.
Treatment.
Information.
I mean this if anything you want you can get there but also more importantly.
If -- could help.
We make it very very easy for you to do -- and the more people -- that we get on board with this some more we can make some kind of meaningful progress with.
That's I'm Julie yes -- you'd agree with that get involved is the way that anybody can do anything about this.
Absolutely really neat people can call their members of congress -- and -- that this is important head and we need people to get donations said that leaking continue to find pride every search.
And -- patients and families are currently dealing with this disease we have a wonderful information and resource is for those people on site courage people to go to our let's say.
Call our toll free number and get involved and take action and we had 62 volunteer affiliates around the country.
With -- -- many different activities and events and we that we need people to get -- -- We need to shine this light on this subject of pancreatic cancer so bright that there's going to be some kind of movement happening because frankly -- statistics have not changed for over forty year -- -- -- -- this shot at a one and we have to do one of our -- -- and I after I found that Lisa and Juliet.
-- rights have the instance is really gone up -- we just getting better at diagnoses.
-- Are the incidents really going -- they actually are going at it can number -- he -- who pancreatic cancer is increasing okay well that.
-- -- -- -- -- Well actually just with some new data that's been compiled the right now pancreatic cancer at the fourth leading cause of cancer -- which is pretty amazing that it's so underfunded.
I don't know that I attacked by the year 20022002.
-- The ask.
When it's good and move from the fourth leading cause of cancer that's right second leading cause of cancer that and that can happen is -- when he fifteen.
So again it's a column action that we need people to get involved.
Take action and we -- congress to pass the pancreatic cancer research and education act and this congrats.
All right well that -- -- president and CEO of the pancreatic cancer action network.
Thank you very much tank and how old is the website we put it up on the screen -- we urge everybody go look at and Lisa swayze.
National spokesperson for pancreatic cancer.
We -- miss your husband least I know not nearly as much as as you do but we'll miss him and I was sorry feel -- and thank you both very much for being here today.
And TL all right.
