A nonprofit organization focused entirely on pancreatic cancer, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) offers a patient program called PALS (Patient and Liaison Services), which assigns patients trained staff members who provide them with the most current information available to help make informed decisions -- including information about the disease, treatment options, specialists, clinical trials, support groups, diet, and nutrition. Similar information can be found on their site in the Patient Services/Pancreatic Cancer section. Here, you can also find dates and locations of upcoming events, such as pancreatic cancer survivor symposiums, and slideshow presentations from previous events. Free educational packets, in English or in Spanish, can be requested, or your questions may be submitted and answered via e-mail.
PanCAN also offers a volunteer Survivor and Caregiver network, and will put you in touch with one of their volunteers upon request. In the Patient Service/News Releases section, there is an excellent repository arranged in reverse chronological order of the latest pancreatic news accumulated from a variety of authoritative sources, such as the National Cancer Institute and American Association for Cancer Research. You may also search these articles by topic, such as Risk Factors, Treatments, and Prevention.
Here you will find comprehensive information from the National Cancer Institute about pancreatic cancer, including risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. There is information about treatment options by stage of disease, as well as factors that can affect recovery, and results of noteworthy pancreatic cancer clinical trials. Information is presented in two formats -- for patients and for health professionals -- and the site indicates when information was last updated. You can also search to find clinical trials involving patients with pancreatic cancer. Information is also available in Spanish.
This site provides FAQs about pancreatic cancer, its diagnosis, and treatment. The organization also offers a free Cancer Information and Counseling Line -- 800-525-3777 -- Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM US Mountain Time. This service is available to all who are affected by pancreatic cancer and is provided in collaboration with the University of Colorado Cancer Center. There are also selected abstracts of recently published advances in pancreatic cancer research. These abstracts may be difficult for those without a medical background to fully understand. You can also search to find clinical trials around the world evaluating new therapies for pancreatic cancer.
