12 weeks. That’s all it took for pancreatic cancer—one of the deadliest cancers worldwide—to take my father’s life. It is often called a silent killer for good reason: the disease advances quietly, with few early symptoms, until treatment options are limited.
A Silent and Aggressive Can:cer
Pancreatic cancer receives little media attention compared to lung, breast, or colon cancer. Yet it remains one of the most serious, ranking 4th in cancer-related deaths.
In France alone, nearly 16,000 new cases are diagnosed each year (Santé Publique France, 2023).
Worldwide, incidence is rising by 2–3% annually.
The five-year survival rate is still below 10%.
Diagnosis typically comes late: the average age at detection is 71 for men and 74 for women. By then, more than three-quarters of tumors are already inoperable. Only complete surgical removal offers a chance at long-term survival—making early recognition critical.
The Two Symptoms We Missed
Looking back, there were two clear warning signs we should have taken more seriously.
1. Persistent Abdominal or Back Pain
