It cost six general practitioners agreements and four hurried trips to A&E before doctors finally realized that something was seriously wrong with Thomas Barker.
By the time they did, it was too late.
FIFE’s 47-year-old father had had months of suffering from attacks of vomiting, severe pain and constipation symptoms were repeatedly rejected as nothing to worry about, with blood tests that clearly return.
Nine months after he first visited his doctor, Thomas was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer during a visit to a hospital visit. He died only four weeks later, last year on Christmas Day.
Today his deeply sad sister Isla Barker spoke about his test – in the hope that others will not suffer a similar fate.
“He had been in pain for months, but it would come and go,” says the 38-year-old caregiver, “with his tests that come back, it was difficult to let the doctors take him seriously.”
She says that even his diagnosis happened to come about – after he started to vomit for the staff during an appointment, so that they send him a scan.
“When he was finally diagnosed, it came as such a shock to the whole family,” says Isla. “Even his doctor couldn’t believe that was the cause of the pain.”
Thomas, who recently described as a gas engineer, was described by loved ones as a dedicated father for his 11-year-old son, full of plans for the future. “He always wanted to do more in life,” says Isla.
Thomas Barker’s family – including his son Henry (right) – calls for action to improve early detection of pancreatic cancer
“I will never forget how Thomas described was diagnosed – he said it was as if I was being rejected from a job. He was only driven to a room and told him he would die. ‘
That night he was sent home with painkillers, a recipe for pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy – which he struggled to gain access because of shortages – and the promise of a reference to a cancer specialist.
He died in a hospice on Boxing Day, the day before he would see his consultant for the first time.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of the disease, partly because the early symptoms are so subtle that they often go unnoticed. Every year it claims around 10,000 lives in the UK – the equivalent of one dead every hour.
Nine out of ten patients die within a year of diagnosis.
A series of recent controversial cases has drawn new attention to the disease. Former English manager Sven-Göran Eriksson died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76 in 2024, while in May 2023 it was revealed that the Smiths bass player Andy Rourke had also succumbed to the disease at the age of 59.
Although adults of any age can influence, pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed in people older than 80. Like much cancer, the risk increases with age, but other known risk factors are smoking and obesity.
The disease is increasingly caring for more often. According to Cancer Research UK, the incidence of pancreatic cancer has risen by 18 percent since the early nineties.
Mr. Barker died only a month after his diagnosis of stage four pancreatic cancer
By 2027 it is expected to overtake breast cancer as the fourth main cause of cancer -related death in the UK.
“The problem is that the pancreas is deep in the body, so unlike some other cancers, see or feel no lump,” says Dr. Shivan Sivakumar, university teacher oncology at the University of Birmingham, who specializes in early detection of pancreatic cancer. ‘By the time physical symptoms appear, the disease is often already at an advanced stage.
‘If someone experiences abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation or persistent vomiting – and no clear cause has been found – they must insist on answers.
“Blood tests often come back normally, so it’s important to be persistent with your doctor if the symptoms continue.”
This was the case for Thomas, so doctors left astonished about the cause of his serious symptoms.
Nevertheless, Isla says: ‘It’s just not logical that he was never sent before a scan when he clearly suffered. It is not as if he did not seek help – he went to the doctors repeatedly and was told that he was doing well. ‘
There is a family history of the disease, in which their cousin dies two years earlier from pancreatic cancer.
Research shows that 10 percent of the cases are genetic and experts warn that people with a family history should be vigilant for the symptoms.
His sister Isla says that the dying wish of Thomas, whom he shared on Christmas Eve last year, would ensure that this does not happen to another family ‘
The family’s petition for the cause has now collected 200,000 signatures and will be raised next week in the Scottish Parliament
His sister Isla says that Thomas’ dying wish he shared with her on Christmas Eve last year was to ensure that this does not happen to another family. “
Now Charities call, in addition to Isla, for a better early detection of pancreatic cancer.
The petition of the family for the case now has 200,000 signatures collectedAnd will be raised next week in the Scottish Parliament.
“Unfortunately, cases such as Thomas’s not uncommon we see patients who have made the diagnosis too often in the final phase of the disease,” says Alfie Bailey-Bearfield, head of influencing and health improvement at Pancreasg Cancer UK. ‘The UK is in the back of healthcare cancer care. We must see a better early detection of the disease. ‘
With this in mind, researchers from the Imperial College London, test a new breath test that has been designed to detect pancreatic cancer earlier – with financing of pancreatic cancer UK.
The goal is to develop a simple, non-invasive test that can be used in general practitioner operations to help identify the disease before the symptoms become serious.
The test works by analyzing chemicals in the breath, known as volatile organic compounds (fox), which can be changed by cancer.
By identifying specific patterns of these connections related to pancreatic cancer, doctors hope to recognize the disease in their earlier stages when the treatment is more effective.
The study will collect adem monsters from hundreds of patients, including patients with confirmed cancer, other pancreatic disorders and healthy individuals, to determine how accurately the test can distinguish.
If successful, GPs can offer a crucial new tool to decide which patients with vague symptoms need urgent reference.
Nevertheless, experts warn that the current treatment options mean that early detection will not resolve the high death rate of the disease.
“Current clinical evidence suggests that early detection does not dramatically improve the survival rates of five years,” says Dr. Sivakumar.
“There are, however, some really exciting treatment options that are currently under development, such as the MRNA vaccine and certain immunotherapy medication.”
“The best way for people who currently have the diagnosis to improve their quality of life and get specialized treatment is to ask to be treated in a pancreatic cancer center, such as ours in Birmingham.”
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