AN Ivybridge charity is leading the way globally in raising awareness of one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

The Operation Henry Trust is part of a new international group that is aiming to ’drive transformational change’ for those affected by pancreatic cancer.

The World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition held its inaugural meeting in Orlando, Florida this week, with more than 60 individuals representing 40 pancreatic cancer advocacy groups from around the globe.

WPCC member and head of fundraising for Operation Henry Marina Leadbetter said: ’By standing in unison, we make a bigger impact than ever before, and help to create a brighter future for sufferers of the disease with the lowest survival rate of any major cancer.’

The coalition says that around the world, pancreatic cancer is the seventh most common cause of cancer-related death. Less than 10 per cent of those diagnosed globally survive for five years.

In 2013 patient organisations from around the world began to discuss how best to support each other’s efforts, while raising global awareness of the disease.  

Marina continued: ’We realized that by working collaboratively, we could have a much greater impact than the sum of our parts. We swiftly moved to action in 2014 with the launch of the inaugural World Pancreatic Cancer Day, which has gone on to be a successful global awareness-raising initiative.’

This year, the day will be held on Thursday, November 17, the highlight of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. The event aims to raise awareness, but also to spread the word that with more funding and more people taking action, pancreatic cancer support will improve.

For additional information on pancreatic cancer, the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition and its members, please visit worldpancreaticcancercoalition.org or see Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.