And just like that November is over!

It's been another busy month so Charlotte and Lesley have been catching up and reflecting on what's been going on this year.

You can find out more about Purple Rainbow here https://purplerainbow.co.uk/

Music Credit Purple Planet Studios

DISCLAIMER:

All views, information or opinions expressed in this podcast series are solely my own and those of individuals interviewed and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers.

The charities mentioned and their employees are not responsible for and do not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series.

The primary purpose of this podcast series is to inform, but it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services.

Howard Crawford is the Scientific Director at the Henry Ford Cancer Center in Detroit Michigan.

He's looking at health inequality and Pancreatic Cancer in African Americans.

Currently there's a 20% higher risk for African Americans developing Pancreatic Cancer.

You can find out more about Purple Rainbow here https://purplerainbow.co.uk/

Music Credit Purple Planet Studios

DISCLAIMER:

All views, information or opinions expressed in this podcast series are solely my own and those of individuals interviewed and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers.

The charities mentioned and their employees are not responsible for and do not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series.

The primary purpose of this podcast series is to inform, but it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services.

Georgia Papacleovoulou is the health and intelligence improvement lead at Pancreatic Cancer UK. 

She shares what the charity is up to at the moment and its latest campaigns.

You can find out more about Purple Rainbow here https://purplerainbow.co.uk/

Music Credit Purple Planet Studios

DISCLAIMER:

All views, information or opinions expressed in this podcast series are solely my own and those of individuals interviewed and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers.

The charities mentioned and their employees are not responsible for and do not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series.

The primary purpose of this podcast series is to inform, but it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services.

Les Hamon is 66. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year.

He's currently undergoing chemotherapy with a hope that he might be able to have surgery later.

Les shares his story of diagnosis and how he and his family have promised to be positive.

You can find out more about Purple Rainbow here https://purplerainbow.co.uk/

Music Credit Purple Planet Studios

DISCLAIMER:

All views, information or opinions expressed in this podcast series are solely my own and those of individuals interviewed and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers.

The charities mentioned and their employees are not responsible for and do not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series.

The primary purpose of this podcast series is to inform, but it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services.

We’ve spoken a fair bit over the last few days and weeks about clinical trials but we’ve not spent much time talking about what a clinical trial actually is.

Obviously they can be very different but to help us understand a bit more about what goes on in a clinical trial and to dispel a few myths you’re going to hear from Chris Bell, a Clinical Research Nurse at The Christie Hospital in Manchester

You can find out more about Purple Rainbow here https://purplerainbow.co.uk/

Music Credit Purple Planet Studios

DISCLAIMER:

All views, information or opinions expressed in this podcast series are solely my own and those of individuals interviewed and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers.

The charities mentioned and their employees are not responsible for and do not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series.

The primary purpose of this podcast series is to inform, but it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services.

Kasia was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in 2014 aged just 33 and with a young son.

She shares with us her diagnosis, treatment and how she uses her optimism and positivity to make sure she is getting the most from life.

You can find out more about Purple Rainbow here https://purplerainbow.co.uk/

Music Credit Purple Planet Studios

DISCLAIMER:

All views, information or opinions expressed in this podcast series are solely my own and those of individuals interviewed and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers.

The charities mentioned and their employees are not responsible for and do not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series.

The primary purpose of this podcast series is to inform, but it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services.

Pancreatic Cancer takes it out of you physically, but what about the emotional impact of not only a diagnosis but also the treatment?

Anna Taylor is a doctor who is looking into depression and anxiety in pancreatic cancer patients due to go to surgery.

You can contact anna via email here [email protected] and she can be found on twitter as @Anna_K_Taylor 

These are the links to the published papers:

Exploring the psychological/emotional impact of recovery after surgery, summarises the patient 'journey': https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/12/e050016.abstract

Summarising the role of primary care and the GP in caring for patients after surgery, and what support networks patients use and value: https://bjgpopen.org/content/6/2/BJGPO.2021.0154

This paper includes a quote from the loved one of a patient and how the diagnosis and treatment impacted them: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/hex.13263

Anna also mentioned a review about antidepressants in cancer. This is the link to that paper - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6494588/

She adds "In summary it says that although antidepressants are fairly safe medications for people who are medically ill (including cancer) the available evidence for them actually improving depression in cancer is not very good. It doesn't mean people can't have antidepressants and prescribing is all assessed on an individual basis anyway."

As always if you have any questions please speak to your doctor.

You can find out more about Purple Rainbow here https://purplerainbow.co.uk/

Music Credit Purple Planet Studios

DISCLAIMER:

All views, information or opinions expressed in this podcast series are solely my own and those of individuals interviewed and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers.

The charities mentioned and their employees are not responsible for and do not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series.

The primary purpose of this podcast series is to inform, but it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services.

Pilar Del Valle is a Research Nurse based in Spain. But before that she spent time in the North West of England working for the NHS. It was here she discovered the role of CNS - something that doesn't exist in Spain.

Pilar worked as a CNS for a number of years and is now sharing what she learned during that time with her colleagues and patients in Spain.

You can find out more about Purple Rainbow here https://purplerainbow.co.uk/

Music Credit Purple Planet Studios

DISCLAIMER:

All views, information or opinions expressed in this podcast series are solely my own and those of individuals interviewed and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers.

The charities mentioned and their employees are not responsible for and do not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series.

The primary purpose of this podcast series is to inform, but it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services.

It's a sad fact at the moment that most people who are diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer die from the disease.

So how can medical professionals make sure that patients get the best care and support to make sure they get the most of the time they have left?

That's where Jane Holt a cancer support worker at St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust and Claire Bowman an Upper GI Cancer Nurse Specialist at Whiston Hospital come in.

They share an initiative they are part of to connect patients with the local hospice as part of a supportive care programme from point of diagnosis.

You can find out more about Purple Rainbow here https://purplerainbow.co.uk/

Music Credit Purple Planet Studios

DISCLAIMER:

All views, information or opinions expressed in this podcast series are solely my own and those of individuals interviewed and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers.

The charities mentioned and their employees are not responsible for and do not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series.

The primary purpose of this podcast series is to inform, but it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services.

Giulia Biffi is a Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute.

She also co-directs the Pancreatic Cancer Programme at the Cancer Centre.

You can find out more about Purple Rainbow here https://purplerainbow.co.uk/

Music Credit Purple Planet Studios

DISCLAIMER:

All views, information or opinions expressed in this podcast series are solely my own and those of individuals interviewed and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers.

The charities mentioned and their employees are not responsible for and do not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series.

The primary purpose of this podcast series is to inform, but it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services.