PanCAN President and CEO, Julie Fleshman shares what her organization is doing to educate and empower people so they can become their own best advocate.

Only 1 in 3 people can name a symptom of #PancreaticCancer. Learn about the signs and symptoms to look out for.

The symptoms of pancreatic cancer can be quite vague and may come and go to begin with. They may depend on where the cancer is in the pancreas, and you may not have all of these symptoms.

If you have jaundice, go to your GP or accident and emergency (A&E) without delay. If you have any of the other symptoms, you don’t know why you have them, and they last four weeks or more, go to your GP.

Common symptoms include:
* tummy (abdominal) and back pain
* unexplained weight loss and indigestion.
Other symptoms include:
* loss of appetite
* changes to bowel habits – including steatorrhoea (pale, smelly poo that may float), diarrhoea (loose watery poo) or constipation (problems emptying your bowels)
* jaundice (yellow skin and eyes, dark urine and itchy skin)
* recently diagnosed diabetes
* problems digesting food – such as feeling full quickly when eating, bloating, burping or lots of wind
* feeling and being sick (nausea and vomiting)
* and difficulty swallowing.

Joseph “Cook” Edens III doesn’t let pancreatic cancer get in the way of living a full life. Edens was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent a Whipple procedure at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Unfortunately, a bout of pancreatitis returned, and in 2015, the hepato-pancreato-billiary surgery team performed a total pancreatectomy on Edens, removing his entire pancreas and spleen. The Arlington, Virginia, resident is now cancer-free and back to a busy lifestyle of work, sports and family time. #PancreaticCancer #JohnsHopkins

Here's a look at the signs and the symptoms.