'Heart-wrenching' moment GP got cancer diagnosis

Charles Cowan says his latest scans showed no remaining evidence of cancer

A GP and father-of-four says the moment he was diagnosed with cancer was "heart-wrenching".

Charles Cowan, from Wiltshire, said he did not experience the more typical symptoms of pancreatic cancer, such as jaundice, unexplained weight loss or vomiting. Instead, he noticed smaller changes such as fatigue and a subtle change in his bowel habits.

The 57-year-old was originally diagnosed with borderline anaemia, but following more tests he received the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in November 2024.

Mr Cowan, whose latest scans showed no evidence of cancer, encouraged people to get any symptoms of concern checked by a doctor.

"Knowing that there is something that requires all of your attention, that is potentially serious and even life-threatening, is better than not knowing at all," he added.

Mr Cowan underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy and a surgery, following which his scans in August showed he had no signs of cancer.

"From every metric we can measure, including my gradual return to normality, the potential is there for the best outcome," he said.

"We took it one step at a time, looked for any and every positive and - to cut a long story short - here we are," he added.

Mr Cowan, from Devizes, is now on a phased return to work and said the support of his family, as well as seeking professional psychological support, was very important.

"I would encourage anyone going through a similar experience to talk to somebody about how you are feeling, even if they find it difficult to say and articulate their emotions.

"If you are feeling anything other than 100%, you should have the opportunity to talk to somebody," he added.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, help and support is available on the BBC Action Line.

Mr Cowan is now planning a trip to New Zealand with his wife to visit one of his daughters.

"Family has been the cornerstone of getting through this period and their love and support has been everything," he said.

The grandfather said he was contemplating a parachute jump during the trip in aid of a pancreatic cancer charity.

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer

Around 10,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK every year and early detection is vital for the best prognosis possible.

However, the NHS says the cancer may not have any symptoms, or they might be hard to spot. Symptoms can include:

• The whites of your eyes or your skin turning yellow and you may also have itchy skin, darker pee and paler poo than usual

• Loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to

• Feeling tired or having no energy

• A high temperature, or feeling hot, cold or shivery

• Feeling or being sick

• Diarrhoea or constipation, or other changes in your poo

• Pain at the top part of your tummy and your back, which may feel worse when you are eating or lying down and better when you lean forward

• Symptoms of indigestion, such as feeling bloated

Some of these symptoms are very common and can be caused by other conditions, having the symptoms does not definitely mean you have pancreatic cancer, the NHS says.

It advises people to see a GP if they have lost a noticeable amount of weight, have symptoms which get worse or do not get better after two weeks, or have a condition which causes digestive problems and symptoms are not improving after two weeks of usual treatment.