The link between sudden onset of diabetes in those age 50 and over with no family history or risk factors and the appearance of pancreatic cancer within 36 months was discovered and elucidated by Suresh Chari, M.D. when he was at the Mayo Clinic and now at MD Anderson. It was somewhere around 2015 or 2016 that this finding was published and continues to be expanded upon.

Despite its publication, many PCP’s and even endocrinologists are not following up on this link and ordering a CT scan and doing frequent surveillance on this patient cohort that could lead to earlier detection and treatment started when easier to treat. As a result, the opportunity of finding the disease at an earlier stage is squandered.

It’s also interesting to note that the American Diabetes Association refused to acknowledged what Dr. Chari discovered. When he would apply for research grants through the NCI, the ADA would not support his grant applications. I looked into approaching a local chapter of the ADA to see if they were interested in participating with PanCan.org with adjacent boots at local health fairs to bring heightened awareness to the public, especially in underserved communities. I never received indication of interest from that organization and they don’t seem to be interested with PanCan.org on a national level.

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