The Cities Race against Pancreatic Cancer is a fundraiser for Pancreatic Cancer Asociation in Spain.

Pancreatic Cancer Asociation in Spain began in January 2015 in memory of the late Carmen Delgado and Olga Lamarca, both of whom battled pancreatic cancer.

It is the first Spanish and Hispanic-speaking association exclusively dedicated to this disease.

All the members collaborate in an altruistic way.

The Asociation has three objectives: to gather funds for research of the disease, to inform and support patients and their relatives, and to raise awareness and consciousness about effects and the need to palliate the disease.

Its source of funding mainly comes from The Cities Race against Pancreatic Cancer. The first race took place in Alicante in 2015, and then Madrid joined. Now it takes place in three Spanish cities, and Milan and Bologna in Italy have also joined.

These funds are entirely dedicated to research grants. With our grants we have already donated 200.000 euros to promising research projects, and some are already delivering results.

To support patients and relatives, the Asociation has created two types of online gatherings. Some are exclusively for patients, where they can talk freely about how they feel. Other sessions are for both patients and relatives, where they can ask questions to a collaborating oncologist.

Another objective is to help patients with their nutrition habits. We have developed a food and healthy Lifestyle Guide that we provide free of charge to patients, relatives and supporting professionals, which has become fundamental for many of them.

Since 2016, the Pancreatic Cancer Asociation in Spain has been a member of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition (WPCC). They recently participated in the annual meeting of WPCC in Miami, Fla.

In the words of Asociation president Cristina Sandin, “We have to gather forces and work in a coordinated manner in the world to achieve greater awareness of the disease to gain on early diagnosis and better treatment, considering that 95 percent of the patients do not survive due to late diagnosis and the tumor´s resistance to conventional treatments available.

“To belong to the WPCC is a great satisfaction. It makes us feel that we are not alone and that together we can make a difference.”