"Only One Symptom"... Former Marathoner Suddenly Diagnosed with Terminal Pancreatic Cancer

Experiencing Persistent Lower Abdominal Pain
No Abnormal Findings in Blood and Urine Tests

A shocking story has emerged of a man in his 50s in the UK who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer after experiencing only one symptom.

The UK Daily Mail recently reported the story of former marathon runner Lee Rollinson (51). He had been experiencing persistent lower abdominal pain since January this year. Despite undergoing blood and urine tests at the hospital, he was told there was nothing wrong with his body. He thought the physical reaction was temporary due to stress and took painkillers, but they were ineffective. Later, he suffered severe pain and eventually collapsed from intense pain while helping his son with soccer practice, leading to his emergency hospitalization.

Pancreatic cancer (in red). Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA

After undergoing a CT (computed tomography) scan at Southend University Hospital, he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer last October. His attending physician estimated that the cancer had already metastasized to the liver, making surgery impossible, and that he had only a few months left to live. The medical team pointed to genetic factors as the cause of his pancreatic cancer. Rollinson’s grandfather also had pancreatic cancer, and Rollinson had been living with diabetes, one of the risk factors for pancreatic cancer, for 10 years.

Rollinson said, "I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid of leaving my wife and children behind," adding, "It is hard knowing I cannot be there for my family when they are in trouble, cannot comfort them when they cry, and cannot watch my children grow up." He continued, "This Christmas will likely be my last, so I am trying to spend as much time as possible with my family," and added, "We have decided to take a trip to Lapland, Finland."

Former marathoner Lee Rollinson (51) was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer after experiencing lower abdominal pain. Photo by Daily Mail UK

Pancreatic cancer, often called the "silent cancer," is known for its very poor prognosis, with a five-year survival rate below 5%. It is called "silent cancer" because it usually shows no clear symptoms until the cancer has significantly progressed. For this reason, even when pancreatic cancer is detected, only about 20% of cases are eligible for surgical resection. Even when complete resection appears to have been achieved visually, survival improvement is limited due to microscopic metastases. Moreover, there are no effective treatments, and the cancer responds poorly to chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Typical symptoms of pancreatic cancer include abdominal and back pain and rapid weight loss. Depending on the extent of metastasis, severe pain may be felt in the epigastric area, back, and sides. Unexplained indigestion and loss of appetite, as well as rapid weight loss of more than 10 kg within a month, may raise suspicion of pancreatic cancer. Some patients may also experience gastrointestinal bleeding, mental disorders such as depression or emotional instability, superficial thrombophlebitis, and less commonly, symptoms such as weakness, dizziness, chills, muscle cramps, and diarrhea.

Experts advise that individuals at high risk for pancreatic cancer?such as those with a family history of pancreatic cancer, newly diagnosed diabetes, long-term smokers, or chronic pancreatitis patients?should consult a doctor and consider undergoing abdominal CT scans.

According to 2021 statistics from the Central Cancer Registry, 8,872 cases of pancreatic cancer occur annually in South Korea, ranking 8th among all cancers but 5th as a cause of death. The five-year survival rate for all cancer patients from 2017 to 2021 was 72.1%, whereas for pancreatic cancer patients it was only 15.9%. Although this represents a 5.3% increase compared to statistics from 1993 to 1995, pancreatic cancer remains the cancer with the poorest prognosis among the "top 10 cancers."