Campaign to increase referral of eligible patients for regular pancreatic cancer monitoring

Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance campaigns to increase referral of eligible patients for regular pancreatic cancer monitoring

Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance (SSCA) is supporting Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month this November by encouraging the referral of patients with an inherited risk of the disease to EUROPAC - the European Registry of Familial Pancreatic Cancer and Hereditary Pancreatitis.

In a two-pronged campaign, the Cancer Alliance is calling on healthcare professionals to refer eligible patients with a family history of pancreatic cancer to EUROPAC and encouraging patients to self-refer by promoting the recently-launched Pancreatic Cancer UK Family History Checker, backed by NHS England. The Family History Checker will help identify people with inherited risk of the disease and encourage them to self-refer to EUROPAC for regular monitoring.

Around 10% of pancreatic cancers are caused by inherited risk factors¹. These can occur in families with a history of either pancreatic cancer, hereditary pancreatitis or in people who carry an at-risk genetic mutation. NICE guidance (NG85) recommends pancreatic cancer surveillance for people with inherited high risk factors.

Motivated by the Cancer Alliance’s successful webinar on inherited risk of pancreatic cancer, Sussex-based GP and trainer, Dr Jessie Gulsin, recently carried out a text campaign to identify individuals with a family history of pancreatic cancer among the 8,000 patients on her practice’s list. This led to six patients being referred to EUROPAC for annual surveillance.

“The webinar brought home what a difference it can make to ask just that one question about family history of pancreatic cancer and it ignited our desire to identify patients within our practice,” says Dr Gulsin.”Even if you identify only one patient and refer them to EUROPAC it is so worthwhile.” Read the full story and the steps Dr Gulsin took here: Inherited Risk of Pancreatic Cancer – a GP case study

The Cancer Alliance has recently added an FAQ leaflet with answers to questions from healthcare professionals to its resources which support referral of eligible patients to EUROPAC, Find it here - SSCA/ EUROPAC – along with the patient referral form, a guide to who should be referred onto EUROPAC, the pancreatic surveillance toolkit and a patient case story. Pancreatic Cancer UK also has an Inherited Risk Resources Hub for healthcare professionals.

Alex Norman, SSCA co-medical director, says: “I encourage healthcare professionals to use these valuable resources to help them understand why it is important to refer a patient with an inherited risk of pancreatic cancer to EUROPAC. The earlier pancreatic cancer is spotted, the more likely it is that people will be able to have lifesaving treatment.”

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Reference:

1. Cancer of the pancreas: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up† - Annals of Oncology