Pancreatic cancer – EUROPAC

GI/Colorectal

The European Registry of Pancreatic Cancer and Hereditary Pancreatitis (EUROPAC)

EUROPAC is a research study aimed at understanding who, among the general population, requires pancreatic cancer surveillance and how it should be done.

There are two parts to EUROPAC:

  1. Registry of over 2800 families with history of pancreatic cancer or pancreatitis. Family and personal medical histories and samples are collected from individuals and used to perform a pancreatic cancer risk assessment.
  2. Individuals with high inherited risk of pancreatic cancer are offered pancreatic cancer surveillance. Surveillance is delivered by NHS surveillance sites and data is input into the registry for research.

What makes EUROPAC different to standard pancreatic surveillance?

There is no pancreatic cancer surveillance pathway in England. EUROPAC offers a structured and protocolled surveillance pathway with participant support throughout. Our surveillance pathway is targeted and tailored to each family and individual.

Around 10% of pancreatic cancer cases are linked to inherited factors. These occur in families with a history of either pancreatic cancer or hereditary pancreatitis or who carry an at-risk genetic mutation predisposing to these conditions.  NICE guidance (NG85) recommends surveillance for people with an inherited high-risk ideally to detect pancreatic cancer earlier.

Important update 17 December 2025

Please note that due to capacity constraints, the EUROPAC team will be undertaking a restructuring process from 1 January 2026 to 31 March 2026. During this period, EUROPAC will be closed to all new recruitment.

From 1 January 2026, all EUROPAC enquiries should be directed to the centralised inboxes and not to individual email addresses:

europac@liverpool.ac.uk

europac.study@liverpoolft.nhs.uk (secure)

Any referrals received during the closure period will be returned to the referrer with a request to resubmit following the end of the restructuring period.

Individuals who are currently in the process of registration should be advised to return their registration documentation as normal; these will continue to be processed. For participants currently under surveillance, any queries during this period should be directed to the relevant surveillance centre.

In line with NICE guideline NG85, individuals with a family history of pancreatic cancer may be eligible for surveillance and should be advised to discuss this with their GP if concerned.

If you have any queries in relation to the above please contact us at nencicb.nca@nhs.net