PC not so PC . . . yet.

Alternately titled: things I wish I'd never learned 

Alternately titled: This is long but important, so bear with me. 

Alternately titled: how you can help

It's November (For three more days, I know, but I first started this post on the 10th. So there.). You know what that means, don't you? Oh . . . you don't. And therein lies our problem.

I bet if I'd posted this a month ago (with the word October in place of November, obviously) with a picture of a pink ribbon, everyone would know what I meant.

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month. I wish I'd never learned that. It's just one of the many things I've learned recently that I wish I hadn't. Here are some of the others . . .

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Of the nation's top ten cancer killers, PC is the only one with a five-year survival rate still in the single digits . . . 6%. Only 6% of people diagnosed with PC will still be alive five years later. What's even more disturbing is the fact that this statistic hasn't changed significantly in the last 40 years. 40 years! This absolutely blows my mind when I think of all the changes that have happened in the breast cancer world (another topic full of things I wish I'd never learned) just since my mom's diagnosis in 2001. For instance, when her breast cancer metastisized to her liver in 2004, there was a new drug (Herceptin) being used for her type of breast cancer that wasn't even available to her when she was first diagnosed in 2001. As many of you know, this drug has been very effective and is still keeping her breast cancer-free six years later! (By the way, no one, including her oncologist, denies that this is a complete miracle.)

So a 6% survival rate that hasn't changed in 40 years is astounding to me. The reason for this ugly news is that there is very little research being done on PC. Unlike many other cancers, there are no early detection methods and limited treatment options, and this isn't going to change without sufficient research. Some private research is being funded by organizations like the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, but the federal government is the primary funder of all cancer research.

This brings me to something else I've learned recently - apparently PC is not very PC (politically correct, that is). Or at least it hasn't been treated in a very politically correct way. The federal government funds cancer research through the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Because of research funded by the NCI, great strides have been made in improving outcomes for people diagnosed with cancers like breast, colon, and prostate. We need this kind of funding for all types of cancers. We need this kind of hope for all types of cancers. Want to guess how much of the National Cancer Institute's annual budget goes to PC research? Just 2% - by far the least amount of any of the top ten cancer killers. Shouldn't a cancer with a survival rate of 6% get more than 2% in research?? Yeah, I think so, too. Unfortunately, PC is not so PC.

But here's something else I've learned . . . there is now a bill floating around Congress called the Pancreatic Cancer Research and Education Act. If Congress passes this bill, it would compel the National Cancer Institute to develop a dedicated strategy to fight pancreatic cancer - the kind of strategy that has already been developed for many other types of cancer. It would give people with pancreatic cancer hope. It would give my mom hope. It would give me hope. 

So . . . I need a favor. So many of you have said "let me know how I can help" that I've joked that we're going to have to start making up things for people to do for us. Well, this is how you can help. I need you to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and ask them to co-sponsor the Pancreatic Cancer Research and Education Act. Urge your elected officials to take action to give people like my mom hope. Encourage them to be politically correct about pancreatic cancer! The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (love them) has made this quick and easy. Just click here and follow the directions. Once you enter your zip code, you'll be taken to a form already addressed to your Representative/Senators; all you have to do is fill in your name and contact info. There's a place for you to add a personal message or story if you'd like, but you don't have to. 

All of the facts and statistics that I've shared here are from www.knowitfightitendit.org and www.pancan.org. Go to either of these sites to learn more about the fight against pancreatic cancer (I'd recommend the first one - it's a bit more user-friendly and also has a good video about the new bill).

Be PC about PC. Please. :-)