The first Australian guidance for GPs on the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer offers tips on spotting red-flag patterns of signs and often non-specific symptoms that should prompt investigation.

The decision support tool has been developed to improve timely diagnosis of the disease, which has a five–year relative survival rate of only 11%.

The team — led by cancer epidemiologist Professor Rachel Neale from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, and including three GPs — says primary care is key to improving survival, as patients typically make several visits before investigation.

The tool developers list common signs and risk factors around three tiers of urgency for referral and investigation.