Pancreatic cancer symptoms explained as Alan Rickman's widow issues warning

Alan Rickman's widow Rima Horton has spoken out about her late husband's pancreatic cancer diagnosis, 10 years on from his death.

The Harry Potter star died six months after being diagnosed with the illness, when he was just 69 years old, with his wife now saying he had 'so much more to give'.

Former Labour politician Horton, who had been in a relationship with Rickman since they met at Chelsea College of Arts in the 1960s, warns that most people don't find out they have pancreatic cancer until it's too late.

A decade on from losing her husband, she is working with Pancreatic Cancer UK, to raise money in memory of Rickman, in the hopes of developing a breath test, which will be used to detect symptoms of the illness.

Rima Horton is raising money in memory of her late husband (Mark Sullivan/WireImage)

"Our motive is to raise money for this deadly disease, because it now has one of the highest death rates," Horton said, while appearing on BBC Breakfast.

"The biggest problem is that by the time that people find out they've got it, it's too late."

She added: "The symptoms are so difficult to work out. What we're trying to do is raise money for a breathalyser test which could provide an early diagnosis."

After getting his diagnosis, Rickman made the decision to undergo chemotherapy treatment, which 'extended his life a bit, but it didn’t cure it'.

Horton continued: "He had so much more to give. There were so many more things he could have done."

Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of all common cancers in the UK, with around 25 percent surviving one year after diagnosis and around eight percent living a further five years from diagnosis.

Alan Rickman tragically died in 2016 (Mike Marsland/WireImage)

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer

Although signs can be difficult to spot, or may not even present at all, the NHS website has listed some of the main symptoms, including:

• Jaundice, where the whites of your eyes or skin turn yellow. This can also present as itchy skin, darker urine and more pale poo than usual
• A loss of appetite or losing weight suddenly without intending to
• Feeling exhausted and having little energy
• A high temperature and feeling hot or cold and shivery

Meanwhile, other symptoms can affect your digestion, including:

The symptoms can be difficult to spot (Getty Stock Images)

• Feeling sick or vomiting
• Changes to bowel habits like diarrhoea or constipation
• Pain at the top of your tummy and back, which could feel worse when eating or lying down, but better when leaning forward
• Indigestion symptoms like bloating

The NHS says you should see a GP if you've lost weight, have any other symptoms that do not improve within two weeks and have a condition which causes digestive symptoms that do not improve within a couple of weeks.

The health service says you should contact 111 if you experience any jaundice symptoms, you've been sick for more than two days, have diarrhoea for more than seven days or have any other symptoms causing concern.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.