Ireland ranks fourth out of 30 countries for pancreatic cancer treatment

Ireland has been ranked fourth out of 30 surveyed countries in the first ever comparison of pancreatic cancer treatment across Europe.

The Euro Pancreatic Cancer Index (EPCI), published today by the Sweden-based research organisation Health Consumer Powerhouse (HCP), covers 30 indicators, including patient rights, information and accessibility to care, prevention, treatment outcomes, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and palliative care.

The Netherlands comes out top with 879 of a possible 1,000 points, followed by Denmark (872), France (812), Ireland (807) and the UK in fifth position (786). Bulgaria is the lowest rated country in the index at 470 points.

In spite of causing almost as many deaths as breast cancer, pancreatic cancer is neglected by most European healthcare systems, contends the EPCI. In four out of five countries, treatment outcomes data are not monitored and there are no agreed best practice protocols in place.

There are about 370 cases of pancreatic cancer diagnosed annually in Ireland and it is the ninth most commonly diagnosed cancer here.

Ireland is one of few countries offering many of the necessary elements of relevant pancreatic cancer care, confirmed Dr Arne Bjornberg, head of HCP Index production.

Patients here are empowered and can inform themselves about treatment options, while diagnostics, outcomes, documentation and access to medicines are among the best in the surveyed countries, the index found. Despite this, however, in Ireland the average five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is only 5-6 per cent, though this matches the European and US average.

Welcoming Ireland's positive ranking, Dr Brian Bird, consultant medical oncologist, Bon Secours Hospital Cork, said Irish patients had better access to multidisciplinary teams (in Cork and Dublin) that specialise in treating pancreatic cancer than patients in the UK. "In addition, in Irish medicine we are allowed cross refer so if a patient having a scan for back pain is found to have pancreatic cancer, they can be referred to an appropriate consultant as opposed to having to be referred back to the GP which entails delays," he told The Irish Times .

Pancreatic cancer is known as a “silent killer” as it is both difficult to detect and treat. Because it causes few symptoms in its early stages, and some symptoms are quite vague (such as abdominal pain, weight loss and fatigue), correct diagnosis is frequently not made until the cancer is very advanced.

While detection remains a serious issue, recent advances in chemotherapy treatment are improving outcomes, and immunotherapy could offer patients more encouraging survival chances in the future, Dr Bird said.