Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation Introduces New Tools To Help "Know Your Family, Know Your Risk" For Early Detection Of Pancreatic Cancer
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 08, 2017 -- Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers, with a mere seven percent five-year survival rate. Early detection can significantly impact survival rates – which is why the Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation has introduced new, easy-to-use online tools to “Know Your Family” and “Know Your Risk.” Found at http://www.KnowMyRisk.org, the web tools are designed to assist individuals in understanding his or her family history and to help determine personal risk factors for the disease.
“Those who have had a family member diagnosed with pancreatic cancer understand: it’s personal. The timeframe from diagnosis to death is often very short, with little warning, creating a life-altering impact on the people who are able to survive and their families,” said Jim Rolfe, president of the board of directors for the Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation. “Pancreatic cancer is treatable when caught early. The vast majority of cases are not diagnosed until it’s too late.”
Furthermore, the five-year survival rate rises from seven percent to 25 percent if pancreatic cancer is caught early. Because family history is a knowable risk factor for pancreatic cancer, the organization is calling on people to first know your family and then know your risk.
1. Know Your Family – Family history plays a big role in the early detection of pancreatic cancer. That’s why Rolfe has debuted a brand-new web tool to help individuals “Know Your Family.” The “Know Your Family” tool will help individuals, who may think there is a history of pancreatic cancer among immediate family members, determine their risk by walking through family histories with an easy-to-use, helpful “Know Your Family” worksheet. Understanding the medical histories of immediate family members is crucial to early detection. To download the “Know Your Family” worksheet and begin the path to early detection today, visit: http://www.KnowMyRisk.org.
2. Know Your Risk – Once an individual is privy to their family’s medical history, the next step on the path to early detection is to “Know Your Risk.” To do so, one should consider visiting http://www.KnowMyRisk.org to find a local certified genetic counselor. This one-step “Know Your Risk” tool is essential because if there is a pattern of pancreatic cancer in an individual’s family, that individual may have a higher risk of being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the future.
“By having a firm grasp of your family history and risk factors, you can begin the path to early detection of pancreatic cancer,” said Rolfe. “Through taking these early steps toward detection, diagnoses can come with more warning, ideally helping survival rates in the long run.”
The Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation is excited to take this step in the fight for early detection. For more information about the Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation and new online tools, please visit: http://www.KnowMyRisk.org.
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Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation is a leading Midwest institution with a mission of being a catalyst for the early detection and ultimate cure of pancreatic cancer. The organization funds medical research at leading clinical and academic centers, and provides support to patients and their loved ones. The organization was started when the friends and family of Michael Rolfe, moved by his brief and brave battle with pancreatic cancer, resolved to ensure that future diagnoses of pancreatic cancer wouldn’t be the grim sentence that Michael’s was.
Hannah Cheney, L.C. Williams & Associates, L.L.C., +1 (312) 565-4610, [email protected]
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