Pancreatic cancer: deadly silent, increasingly younger, and rarely detected in time

VUB researchers call for greater focus on early detection and prevention

Every year, around 1,500 people in Belgium are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The disease is increasingly affecting younger patients and is usually discovered only in an advanced stage. As part of World Pancreatic Cancer Month, researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and doctors from UZ Brussel are urgently calling for greater attention to early detection and prevention.

“Pancreatic cancer is one of the most insidious and aggressive forms of cancer,” says Professor Ilse Rooman, head of the Brussels Pancreas Cancer Team (BruPaCT) and researcher at the Translational Oncology Research Centre (TORC) at VUB. “The symptoms are vague and often appear too late, which means most patients are no longer eligible for surgery.” As a result, the five-year survival rate remains limited to just over ten percent.

Within BruPaCT, the VUB, ULB, UZ Brussel, and the Jules Bordet Institute join forces to bridge fundamental and clinical research. Their shared goal is to better understand the disease, develop new treatments, and improve diagnosis.

One of the main pillars of this collaboration is PANSCREEN, a program supported by Kom op tegen Kanker, which investigates how screening of high-risk groups through MRI and endoscopic ultrasound can lead to earlier detection. “Studies in the Netherlands and the United States show that such screening results in smaller tumors and better survival rates,” says Professor Amy de Haar-Holleman, medical oncologist at UZ Brussel. “We want to explore how we can apply this approach in Belgium.”

To raise awareness, TORC and BruPaCT are organizing a patient day on November 7 at the Jules Bordet Institute, where patients, researchers, and policymakers will discuss current needs and advances in research.

“Pancreatic cancer is no longer a rare disease, but it remains under the radar,” concludes Professor Rooman. “We have the knowledge and the collaboration — what we need now is sustainable funding. Only by acting earlier can we save lives.”

Read more