Pancreatic cancer is the fifth deadliest cancer in the UK and it affects more than 15,000 patients in the UK every year. This year the LAPR&D have teamed up with Southampton City Council and LiveNation #O2GuildhallS to light up two of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the Civic Centre and Guildhall, purple – the symbolic colour of pancreatic cancer. The famous buildings will turn purple on the evening of Monday 14 November and will stay purple for one week.
All charity supporters and the media are invited to meet charity patron, former Southampton FC captain and goalkeeper, Kelvin Davis, Councillor Dave Shields, Cabinet Member for Health and Sustainability at Southampton City Council, medical experts from the research team and patients for a photo call at 16:30 on Monday 14 November in Guildhall Square. If you are a press or media outlet and would like to attend please get in touch via:
Email: communications@southampton.gov.uk
Call: 023 8083 2000
Charity volunteers and medical experts from the Southampton University Hospital will also be present in the foyer of Southampton City Council from 12noon-2pm on Monday 14th November – Friday 18th November and will be pleased to speak to anyone about the work they are doing.
LAPR&D strongly believe that raising awareness of pancreatic cancer and its signs and symptoms can save lives. More than 50% of patients have never heard of pancreatic cancer before their own diagnosis and half the population cannot name a single symptom of pancreatic cancer – that’s why raising awareness is so vital! Unlike many other forms of cancer, detection and cure rates have not improved in the last 40 years.
LAPR&D, via its world leading research programme based at the Southampton University Hospital, is trying to improve the life chances of those who contract this disease. They are currently funding two research programmes with the objective of improving detection and treatment.
Mr. Hilal, one of the charity’s founding members and surgeon at Southampton University hospital said: “This research into liver stem cells allows us a unique opportunity to improve the outcomes and survival for patients with liver disease. Once we establish our protocols in liver stem cells, we’ll be looking to extend our research into pancreatic stems cells too. This was our first major grant and we are delighted that it has been given to a very talented local team at Southampton University Hospital.
“The research group acknowledges that it has a long way to go to reach the point of using liver generated from stem cells in the management of patients with liver disease. However in the last two years the group has made good progress and is working hard towards the research aims.
“We are grateful to our many supporters who have so generously given of their time and money to make this research possible and to Southampton City Council for supporting this awareness campaign. If the research is successful it will give a massive boost to the treatment of this form of cancer.”
Councillor Dave Shields, Cabinet Member for Health and Sustainability at Southampton City Council, said:
“We are proud to support this locally based charity in the fantastic work they do in improving patient care and patient prognosis. Their research into pioneering new treatments and identifying the causes of pancreatic cancer is invaluable in the fight against this terrible disease."
You can find out more about the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer at: https://pancreaticcanceraction.org/about-pancreatic-cancer/symptoms/
Donations can be made to the Liver and Pancreatic Research and Development Cancer Charity by following the "Donate" button on this website.
The Liver and Pancreatic Research and Development cancer charity (registered Charity Number 1051543 and affiliated to the Southampton University Hospital Trust) was set up by surgeon Mr. Mo Abu Hilal in 2012 and a number of patients with liver and pancreatic diseases. The charity, based at Southampton Hospital, aims to deliver improvements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancers of the liver and pancreas.
Further ways to support the charity can be found at the "Get Involved" section of this website.