The fact behind pancreatic most cancers surge in ladies below 55 actually alarms me. You MUST ditch this every day behavior now – and by no means ignore this early warning sign that may enhance your likelihood of survival: DR MAX PEMBERTON

Pancreatic cancer used to be thought of as a disease of old age. For decades, doctors – including me – were trained to think of it as something that mainly struck people in their 60s and beyond.

The average age of diagnosis has historically been in the mid-60s, with nearly half of all cases in people over 75.

And yet, increasingly, that picture is changing in ways that I find genuinely alarming.

Rates of pancreatic cancer are rising among younger adults and the most dramatic increase is being seen in women under 55.

A major analysis, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, found a sharp rise in cases among those aged 15 to 34.

Yes, that young. I had to read that statistic twice when I first encountered it: we rarely think of this cancer in that group.

The problem is, of course, if we don’t expect it, we’re often slow to diagnose it.

Pancreatic cancer is already very difficult to catch early and, for that reason, it is one of the most feared cancers. The pancreas sits deep in the abdomen, tucked behind the stomach, and early tumours cause no obvious symptoms.

By the time most people feel unwell enough to see a doctor, the disease has often spread. Five-year survival rates remain stubbornly low – only about seven per cent in England.

In this cancer especially, early diagnosis can mean the difference between life and death.

That’s why new research from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is so exciting.

Scientists have identified what they describe as an ‘early warning signal’ which appears years before any symptoms develop.

Pre-cancerous cells in the pancreas, it turns out, do not behave randomly. They organise themselves into small clusters, or ‘neighbourhoods’, within the tissue and these clusters then begin interacting with nearby immune cells in ways that dampen the body’s ability to fight disease. In other words, the cancer starts suppressing the immune system long before it fully develops.

Understanding this process opens the door to earlier detection methods which could save lives. But while researchers work on the science of tomorrow, what can we do today?

The most important thing is knowing the symptoms and taking them seriously. One of the most significant warning signs is the sudden onset of diabetes in someone who has no obvious reason to develop it.

I cannot stress this enough. The pancreas produces insulin and when a tumour begins to develop there, it can disrupt insulin production. New-onset diabetes in an adult, particularly if accompanied by any of the other symptoms I am about to describe, should always prompt a conversation with your GP.

The vast majority of those who develop diabetes will not have pancreatic cancer. But it is always worth raising with your doctor, especially if it comes on suddenly and without obvious explanation. Other signs to be alert to include unexplained weight loss, upper abdominal pain or discomfort that radiates to the back, jaundice (a yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes and itchy skin, which occurs when bilirubin builds up in the body), pale or oily stools, very dark urine, and persistent indigestion or loss of appetite which does not resolve as you would expect. Unexplained physical weakness or extreme fatigue, too.

Individually, these symptoms can have many innocent explanations. Together, or when they persist, they deserve proper investigation.

Now, about the lifestyle factors. Part of the reason we are seeing more pancreatic cancer in younger people almost certainly relates to changes in the way we live. Obesity is a significant risk factor and, alongside type 2 diabetes, is one of the most established drivers of the disease. Alcohol consumption also plays a role.

Then there is smoking. It is one of the biggest modifiable risk factors for pancreatic cancer and it remains startlingly prevalent. I have made no secret of my views on smoking: I loathe it, and I once smoked myself.

But this is not about moralising. It is about the fact that cigarette smoke contains nitrosamines, compounds formed when certain chemicals combine with nitrogen compounds, which are known carcinogens and have been linked to pancreatic cancer. These same nitrosamines are also found in processed meats: bacon, sausages, salami, hot dogs. Research has consistently found that high consumption of processed meat is associated with an elevated risk of pancreatic cancer and the mechanism involves these nitrosamines forming in the gut during digestion.

I am not suggesting you never eat a sausage again. Life is for living and that includes eating food that you enjoy. But if your diet is heavy in processed meat, this is worth knowing. Small changes accumulate over time and they matter. The picture that emerges from all of this is one that should prompt all of us to pay more attention to our pancreatic health.

Know the warning signs. Be honest with yourself about your lifestyle. The people who survive pancreatic cancer are, overwhelmingly, those in whom the disease is caught early. The science is moving in an encouraging direction, but it counts for very little if people are still dismissing symptoms that deserve investigation.

Britney really isn’t free at all

News that Britney Spears has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving will have saddened anyone who has followed her story over the years.

She is 44 years old and, since the conservatorship that controlled her life for 13 years was finally terminated in 2021, she has been living as a free woman. The world cheered when the legal shackles came off – and I still think we were right to do so.

Part of the argument for giving someone with serious mental health difficulties their autonomy back is a moral one – adulthood comes with the right to make mistakes and to live imperfectly. But standing here now, I find myself wondering whether freedom without care is really freedom at all.

What she needs now is genuine, consistent support from those closest to her. I hope they step up.

A new study has found that Covid lockdowns may have inflicted lasting harm on children’s brain development.

Children who were in reception class, aged four to five, when schools first shut in March 2020 showed significantly slower growth in what scientists call ‘executive functions’: the ability to regulate behaviour, stay focused and adapt to new situations.

It’s hard not to feel a grim sense of vindication: we said this would happen but the politicians refused to listen.

Dr Max prescribes… Kefir

I’ve started having a small glass of this fermented milk drink each morning. Research published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews found that fermented foods rich in live bacteria, such as kefir, influence the gut-brain axis, affecting mood, stress resilience and anxiety.

Start with a small amount – it’s an acquired taste, but one worth acquiring!