More than 3,500 people gathered at the Detroit Zoo yesterday morning to raise funds and show their support for pancreatic cancer research. In its second year, PurpleStride Detroit raised $250,000 for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, yet it is the most under-funded, under-recognized and least-studied of the leading cancer killers. Currently, less than 2 percent of the National Cancer Institute’s federal research funding is allocated to pancreatic cancer. In 2010, an estimated 43,120 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and 36,800 will die.