My brother was once advised his abdomen pains have been simply constipation and he had ‘not anything to fret about’… it became out to be fatal most cancers and he died simply 4 weeks later

It took six GP appointments and 4 rushed journeys to A&E prior to docs in the end realised one thing was once critically incorrect with Thomas Barker.

By the time they did, it was once too overdue.

The 47-year-old father from Fife had spent months affected by bouts of vomiting, critical ache and constipation – signs time and again disregarded as not anything to fret about, with blood assessments returning transparent.

Nine months after first visiting his GP, Thomas was once identified with level 4 pancreatic most cancers all through but some other emergency clinic consult with. He died simply 4 weeks later, on Boxing Day remaining yr.

Today, his heartbroken sister Isla Barker has spoken out about his ordeal – within the hope that others received’t endure a an identical destiny.

‘He had been in agony for months but it would come and go,’ says the 38-year-old carer, ‘With his tests coming back clear it was hard to get the doctors to take him seriously.’

She says even his analysis took place unintentionally – after he started vomiting in entrance of group of workers all through an appointment, prompting them to ship him for a scan.

‘When he was finally diagnosed it came as such a shock to the whole family,’ Isla says. ‘Even his GP couldn’t consider that was once what was the reason for.’

Thomas, who had lately retrained as a fuel engineer, was once described via family members as a faithful father to his 11-year-old son, stuffed with plans for the long run. ‘He always wanted to do more in life,’ Isla says.

‘I’ll by no means disregard how Thomas described being identified – he mentioned it was once like being rejected from a task. He was once wheeled right into a room by myself and advised he was once going to die.’

That night time, he was once despatched house with painkillers, a prescription for pancreatic enzyme substitute treatment – which he struggled to get admission to because of shortages – and the promise of a referral to a most cancers specialist.

He died in a hospice on Boxing Day, the day prior to he was once because of see his marketing consultant for the primary time.

Pancreatic most cancers is without doubt one of the deadliest sorts of the illness, partially as a result of its early signs are so delicate they continuously pass disregarded. Each yr it claims round 10,000 lives in the United Kingdom – the identical of 1 loss of life each and every hour.

Nine in ten sufferers die inside of a yr of analysis.

A string of new high-profile circumstances has drawn recent consideration to the illness. Former England supervisor Sven-Göran Eriksson died from pancreatic most cancers elderly 76 in 2024, whilst in May 2023 it was once printed that The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke had additionally succumbed to the sickness on the age of 59.

Although it may well have an effect on adults of any age, pancreatic most cancers is maximum usually identified in other people over 80. Like many cancers, the chance will increase with age, however different recognized possibility elements come with smoking and weight problems.

Worryingly, the illness is turning into extra commonplace. According to Cancer Research UK, pancreatic most cancers occurrence has risen via 18 consistent with cent for the reason that early 1990s.

Mr Barker died only a month after his analysis of level 4 pancreatic most cancers

By 2027, it’s projected to overhaul breast most cancers because the fourth main explanation for cancer-related loss of life in the United Kingdom.

‘The problem is the pancreas sits deep inside the body, so unlike some other cancers, you won’t see or really feel a lump,’ says Dr Shivan Sivakumar, affiliate professor of oncology on the University of Birmingham, who specialises in early detection of pancreatic most cancers. ‘By the time physical symptoms appear, the disease is often already at an advanced stage.

‘If someone is experiencing abdominal pain, diarrhoea, constipation or persistent vomiting – and no clear cause has been found – they should push for answers.

‘Blood tests often come back normal, so it’s necessary to be power along with your GP if signs proceed.’

This was once the case for Thomas, so it left docs baffled at the reason for his critical signs.

Despite this, Isla says: ‘It just doesn’t make sense that he was once no longer despatched for a scan faster when he was once obviously struggling. It isn’t like he didn’t search lend a hand – he went to the docs time and again and was once advised he was once wonderful.’

There is a circle of relatives historical past of the illness, with their cousin loss of life from pancreatic most cancers two years prior to.

Research displays that 10 consistent with cent of circumstances are genetic, and mavens warn that individuals with a circle of relatives historical past will have to be vigilant of the indicators.

His sister Isla says that Thomas’s loss of life want, which he shared on Christmas Eve remaining yr, was once to ‘make sure that this doesn’t occur to some other circle of relatives’

The circle of relatives’s petition for the reason has now gathered 200,000 signatures, and is ready to be raised within the Scottish Parliament subsequent week

His sister Isla says that Thomas’s loss of life want, which he shared along with her on Christmas Eve remaining yr, was once to ‘make sure that this doesn’t occur to some other circle of relatives’.

Now charities are calling, along Isla, for higher early detection of pancreatic most cancers. 

The circle of relatives’s petition for the reason has now gathered 200,000 signatures, and is ready to be raised within the Scottish Parliament subsequent week. 

‘Unfortunately cases like Thomas’s aren’t unusual – we see sufferers identified in the most recent level of the illness a ways too continuously,’ says Alfie Bailey-Bearfield, head of influencing and well being growth at Pancreatic Cancer UK. ‘The UK is falling behind in pancreatic cancer care. We need to see better early detection of the disease.’

With this in thoughts, researchers at Imperial College London are trialling a brand new breath check designed to come across pancreatic most cancers previous – with investment from Pancreatic Cancer UK.

The intention is to increase a easy, non-invasive check which may be utilized in GP surgical procedures to lend a hand establish the illness prior to signs change into critical.

The check works via analysing chemical substances within the breath, referred to as unstable natural compounds (VOCs), which may also be altered via most cancers.

By figuring out particular patterns of those compounds connected to pancreatic most cancers, docs hope to identify the illness in its previous phases, when remedy is much more likely to be efficient.

The trial will gather breath samples from loads of sufferers, together with the ones with showed most cancers, different pancreatic stipulations, and wholesome folks, to resolve how appropriately the check can distinguish between them.

If a hit, it will be offering GPs a a very powerful new device for deciding which sufferers with obscure signs want pressing referral.

Despite this, mavens warn that present remedy choices imply that early detection is not going to clear up the excessive loss of life fee from the illness.

‘Current clinical evidence suggests that early detection does not dramatically improve five-year survival rates,’ says Dr Sivakumar.

‘There are, however, some really exciting treatment options currently in development such as the mRNA vaccine and certain immunotherapy drugs.’

‘The best way for people diagnosed at the moment to improve their quality of life and receive specialist treatment is to ask to be treated at a pancreatic cancer centre, like ours in Birmingham.’