A YORK woman with inoperable cancer is leading a drive to make people aware of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer - one of the most deadly forms of the disease.

Jean Clark, 59, from Shipton Road, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013, and while the tumour is inoperable, she counts herself lucky to have been diagnosed early enough to benefit from chemotherapy and radiotherapy to lengthen her life.

Now Jean is leading November's Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month in York, as part of a mission to raise awareness of the symptoms of the tenth most common cancer in Britain which has one of the highest mortality rates because many patients are diagnosed too late for effective surgery.

Jean and her family will be in Parliament Street on Thursday, October 29, dressed in purple to signify the campaign. Bells cafe, on the corner of Parliament Street and Jubbergate, will be lit up in purple light and purple glow sticks will be handed out to passersby to mark Pancreatic Cancer UK's Purple Lights for Hope campaign.

"My Macmillan nurse said they can count the number of people with pancreatic cancer in York one hand - it's so aggressive it's difficult to treat," Jean said.

"When people go to the doctors with indigestion they're often told to take Gaviscon or Lansoprazole but there's no investigation. Pancreatic cancer is the last thing on the list people talk about. If you have back ache, acid reflux and a feeling of being full you need to tell your doctor.

"Because the symptoms are not picked up quickly the cancer has often spread before it's diagnosed."

Jean was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after suffering symptoms for a while. She had been given medicine for suspected acid reflux and she’d lost weight after losing her appetite.

When she mentioned the nagging lower back pain she was suffering to a doctor in 2013, they referred her to have a CT scan - which was inconclusive - and then a PET scan which found a tumour.

The positioning of the tumour meant an operation would be impossible, but chemotherapy and radiotherapy has shrunk the tumour for the moment, Jean said.

York Central MP Rachael Maskell is due to meet with Jean on the day to show her support and she will be meeting with theLord Mayor of York Cllr Sonja Crisp at a later date.

Common symptoms of pancreatic cancer:

- Abdominal pain is a symptom in about 70 per cent of pancreatic cancer cases. It often starts as general discomfort or pain in the abdomen which can spread to the back.

- Jaundice occurs in about 50 per cent of pancreatic cancer cases.

- Losing a lot of weight for no particular reason can be a sign that something is wrong.

- Pancreatic cancer can affect the ability of the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes that help to digest food, especially high fat food, meaning body can’t digest food properly or get the nutrients it needs, leading to weight loss.

For more information visit: http://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/