Overall cancer death rates and incidence rates have decreased for men and women across racial and ethnic groups in the United States. And yet, pancreatic cancer death rates and incidence rates continue to climb.

Those are among the sobering findings in the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, released May 22 by the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.

Pancreatic cancer stands as the third leading cause of cancer death, and is projected to become the second leading cause by 2020.

Death rates declined measurably in cancers such as lung, melanoma, colon, breast, prostate, leukemia and nearly every other type of major cancer. But for pancreatic cancer, the death rate increased for both men and women.

The World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition – of which Kelly’s Heroes is a member – has a mantra in the fight against pancreatic cancer: Demand better. We support the mission of better treatment options, better screening and better outcomes for the 40,000 Americans who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year. Our fund-raising efforts support research into early detection and new types of treatment, continuing Steve Kelly’s commitment to making pancreatic cancer a disease you live with, rather than die from.