When Michael Duthie went to his doctor with severe back pain two years ago, he was told he'd face surgery and months of chemotherapy.
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He'd found out he was a victim of one of the deadliest forms of cancer, in the pancreas, which had largely been forgotten.
Mr Duthie wants to bring the aggressive illness out of the shadows.
“I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent a whipple procedure to remove half of my pancreas,” he said.
"After what was thought to have been a successful operation, my cancer came back five months later.
"I am still going through chemotherapy treatments and will start radiation treatment in a couple weeks.”
Pancreatic cancer has the second-lowest five-year survival rate in Australia, at just over 6 per cent, and is the fifth most common cause of cancer-related death.
Border Medical Oncology's doctor Craig Underhill said it could be a difficult cancer to detect.
“At our practice, we see almost 1000 new patients per year and 40 to 50 have pancreas cancer,” he said.
“The problem is symptoms can be quite non-specific.”
Symptoms include upper abdominal pain, loss of weight and appetite, depression and blood clots.
Mr Duthie said he wanted people to be informed and seek help.
“It’s been a long battle with set backs and has had a huge impact on my life," he said.
"If you start suffering unusual symptoms, the sooner you get onto it the better - have confidence to do so."
Mr Guthie sought support from the Pancare Foundation which joined the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance in the lead-up to World Pancreatic Cancer day on Friday.
Garvan Research Foundation is also part of the new alliance.
The foundation's chief executive Andrew Giles said breakthroughs in pancreatic cancer research are desperately needed.
“It is shocking to think that the poor pancreatic cancer survival rate has barely improved for nearly 40 years,” he said.
For more information visit www.pancreaticcanceralliance.org.au.
