Pancreatic Cancer Screening Initiative

University of Illinois Cancer Center researchers are working on a new model of early detection for pancreatic cancer – a cancer with some of the worst outcomes when compared to all other solid tumors. Many disparities exist for those affected by pancreatic cancer.

In partnership with NovaScan, a medical device company located in Chicago, OSF Healthcare in Peoria, and community partner Phyllis Rodgers of Peer Plus, our researchers are focused on engaging communities in the development of a medical device that can aid in the early detection of pancreatic cancer.

This project aligns with the priorities of the Cancer Center’s Community Health Needs Assessment, which aims to improve outcomes and reduce healthcare disparities by using early screening practices that may use medical devices and routine diagnostic procedures for high-risk communities.

We aim to engage our communities early in the process of developing access to these devices and make screening guidelines accessible to those at the most risk of being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. 

These charts show that the pancreatic cancer mortality rates of Black men and women in Cook County are higher than the rates for Whites and Hispanics in the state of Illinois and the United States as a whole.

This map shows all the UI Health pancreatic cancer cases in Cook County between 2016 and 2023.

The darkest blue areas show the communities with the highest number of pancreatic cancer cases. 

There are significant differences in the number of pancreatic cancer cases between community areas of Chicago.