![\"Broede](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768815669_584_d23e85866f7a4599c50cc215246692f5e44ec5e0.png\")
Save<\/p>\nSave<\/p>\n
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n
Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Few would say they\u2019re thankful for having a kidney stone.<\/p>\n But Melbourne mother Carol Chevalier doubts she would be alive today if she hadn\u2019t gone to hospital with severe nausea and lower back pain in 2023.<\/p>\n After treatment, doctors wanted to do follow-up scans to confirm there weren\u2019t other rock-like crystals lodged in her urinary system. Eager to leave hospital, Chevalier said she would get the imaging done at a local clinic.<\/p>\n It\u2019s lucky she didn\u2019t delay.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I had my scan, I was told then and there I needed to see my GP straight away,\u201d Chevalier says. \u201cI was told I had a growth on my pancreas. I had absolutely no idea. No symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n After 12 months of medical monitoring, the eastern suburbs resident was told the tumour was growing rapidly and beginning to block her bile duct \u2013 a small organ that sends essential digestive fluids to other parts of the body.<\/p>\n \u201cI was advised at that stage that I needed major surgery, which made me feel so scared and confused. They said if I left the tumour, it would develop into pancreatic cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n Just 1 per cent to 3 per cent of stage 4 pancreatic cancer patients will live for five years.<\/p>\n Chevalier once again found herself in hospital. This time, it was for a marathon 13-hour surgery.<\/p>\n The operation \u2013 called the Whipple procedure \u2013 involved removing the head of her pancreas, bile duct, and even part of her stomach. Chevalier spent eight days in hospital.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cThe biggest challenge was eating,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cI now eat smaller meals more frequently. I also have to take pancreatic enzymes for the rest of my life \u2013 they help me digest and give me the nutrients I need.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if I hadn\u2019t had my scans, I probably wouldn\u2019t be sitting here today.\u201d<\/p>\n While she considers herself one of the lucky ones, Chevalier is part of the growing number of Australians at risk of upper gastrointestinal cancers.<\/p>\n The number of new pancreatic cancer diagnoses has tripled \u2013 from about 1200 new cases annually to around 4000 \u2013 over the past 40 years, according to Cancer Australia figures<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Liver cancer is also on the rise. There were 2574 new cases diagnosed in Australia in 2021. The figure for last year was estimated to reach 3175 new cases.<\/p>\n Pancare Foundation \u2013 the country\u2019s leading charity supporting patients and families affected by upper gastrointestinal cancers \u2013 estimates that, when combined, cancers from this group now kill more Australians than lung cancer.<\/p>\n Related Article Upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers include cancers of the pancreas, liver, stomach, oesophagus and biliary tract.<\/p>\n Cancers of the windpipe and lungs killed just over 9000 people in 2024, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. This was the fifth most common cause of death in Australia at the time (the leading cause being Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia, followed by heart disease).<\/p>\n But Pancare says there were a combined 9301 deaths from pancreatic, liver and other cancers of the upper GI tract in 2024, illustrating the need for more research and awareness.<\/p>\n \u201cUpper GI cancers are now responsible for nearly one in five cancer deaths but have received less than one in 10 cancer research dollars in Australia in recent years,\u201d Pancare\u2019s head of advocacy, Dr Mark Buzza, said.<\/p>\n Professor Mehrdad Nikfarjam, one of Australia\u2019s leading liver, pancreas and biliary surgeons, said it was fair to group upper GI cancers together because of their poor prognosis rates, some common symptoms such as back pain, and links to certain genetic mutations.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us to improve outcomes, we have to invest in the most innovative research and look at new ways to deal with these cancers. You can\u2019t just replicate [targeted therapies for cancers with better survival rates].\u201d<\/p>\n Pancreatic cancer symptomsJaundiceItchy skin or dark urineAbdominal or back painUnexplained weight lossPersistent fatigue or nauseaChanges in stool or appetite\u00a0<\/p>\n There is no national screening program for pancreatic cancer.<\/p>\n Chevalier said she would love to see more awareness of these kinds of cancers, given the saturation of anti-smoking and sun-smart messaging.<\/p>\n \u201cI had no idea of upper GI cancers three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said that since coming to government, Labor had made a record investment in cancer nurses and made it easier for patients to access immunotherapy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know patients want faster access to cutting-edge medicine and treatments. That\u2019s why our government is working through the recommendations of the HTA [Health Technology Assessment] review.\u201d<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Carol](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/c1edbe181cb29d0c66ce29d0a33c247abdc59ae4.jpeg\")
Carol Chevalier at her home in Melbourne\u2019s eastern suburbs. A lump on her pancreas was discovered by sheer luck. Luis Enrique Ascui<\/p>\n![\"Rob](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/e26fe76d9f860fcad827cda642e3a0190806b7d0.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"SharkSafe](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/eb3b63960887552269348523dbaec17d737dc4ab.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Broede](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/d23e85866f7a4599c50cc215246692f5e44ec5e0.png\")
Broede Carmody<\/a> is a health reporter for The Age. Previously, he was a state political reporter for The Age and the national news blogger for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526715,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-526714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526714\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}