Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Break out the purple! November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. I hope everyone takes the time to learn about this devastating cancer in hopes to raise awareness.

People aren’t as knowledgeable about pancreatic cancer as breast, lung or prostate cancer, but it is just as debilitating a disease. Pancreatic cancer affects the pancreas, a small gland that lies behind the stomach and in front of your spine. Your pancreas is responsible for producing digestive juices that help break down food and also for producing hormones that control blood sugar.

Pancreatic cancer is a common cancer. However, it is very difficult to detect early and even more difficult to treat. The symptoms presented by pancreatic cancer are often very similar to that of many other illnesses, and they don’t always show until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage.

A few ugly facts about pancreatic cancer:

—Pancreatic cancer has the lowest surv...