A surgeon from Australia has begun a research project to try and discover more about how tumours linked to pancreatic cancer develop.

The prognosis for a patient with pancreatic cancer can vary greatly from person to person, but according to a recent report by the Sydney Morning Herald, no one knows why exactly this is. Australian surgeon Dr David Chang is now determined to discover more about the underlying biology behind tumours and how they develop and react.

Cancer of the pancreas is not one of the more prevalent forms of the disease, however, around 7,800 people in the UK are diagnosed with it each year. It mostly occurs in people between the ages of 50 and 80, although people of any age can suffer from pancreatic cancer. It is a serious form of cancer and because there are relatively few symptoms in the early stages, it is often not often picked up until it is at an advanced stage. For pancreatic cancers that cannot be cured, there are treatments available to help make patients more comfortable and slow the growth of the tumour.