THE BACK ACHE THAT COULD SIGNAL PANCREATIC CANCER

THE death of Sex And The City actor Willie Garson, above, reportedly from pancreatic cancer, has made me think of a few people close to me who’ve also recently succumbed to the illness.

I think of a tell-tale sign they had, which most of us would dismiss as nothing: back pain.

In the majority of cases it isn’t serious, but it can be a warning of pancreatic cancer, especially when the pain is in the upper or middle back. I’ve warned about this for a few years as an ambassador for the charity Pancreatic Cancer Action. About eight in ten patients with this disease are diagnosed late, so can’t be cured, and just seven per cent live for more than five years. If you’ve got back pain, it’s probably because you spend too long sitting at a desk.

But don’t count on it – check with your GP, just in case.