In its first year, Australia’s first national pancreatic cancer screening program has already made a ‘life-changing’ difference for Amanda Mundy.
In October 2025, the Jreissati Pancreatic Centre at Epworth and Pankind, Pancreatic Cancer Australia, partnered to establish a new nationwide surveillance program for people considered high-risk of developing pancreatic cancer.
The Australian Pancreatic Cancer High-Risk Screening (APRISE) Program aims to detect pancreatic cancer at an earlier stage, improve treatment outcomes, and increase survival rates.
For Amanda, who tragically lost her father and uncle to the disease, enrolling in the study was a deeply personal decision. The 47-year-old has a young daughter and hopes to contribute to research that could improve outcomes for the next generation.
Amanda was one of the first in Australia to undergo the screening process last year, with her first scan showing a pancreatic cyst called an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN). While the cyst is benign, there is a risk it will become cancerous.
“The positive is that we know it is there, rather than me remaining unaware for perhaps years and only developing symptoms when it is potentially too late,” Amanda said.
“The day after I found out, I changed the way I live. The news gave me the gift of clear priorities. I now attend all my daughters’ activities, we went overseas for six weeks, and I embrace simple moments.”
Amanda now has six-monthly MRI scans, outside the study’s yearly screening, to monitor the cyst for any growth.
Director of the Jreissati Pancreatic Centre at Epworth, Professor Andrew Metz, leads the APRISE Program as Coordinating Principal Investigator. He said there had been an overwhelming level of interest in the study so far.
Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Australia, due to its aggressive nature and late stage at which it is often diagnosed.
“Pancreatic cancer symptoms can be vague, which means it is often diagnosed too late, so it is not surprising that many people with a family history of pancreatic cancer want to take this opportunity to have regular screening,” Prof Metz said.
“I encourage anyone concerned about their family history or risk of pancreatic cancer to discuss it with their GP or contact our team for an eligibility assessment.”
Michelle Stewart, Pankind CEO, congratulated the Jreissati Pancreatic Centre at Epworth on an ‘outstanding’ first year.
“The level of interest in APRISE shows how many families have been waiting for a pathway like this. For people with a family history of pancreatic cancer, regular screening means the chance to catch it early, when more treatment options are available. We’re proud to stand alongside Epworth on this work,” she said.
APRISE has also enabled Australia’s participation in the global Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection (PRECEDE) Consortium, which is at the forefront of world-leading pancreatic cancer screening and research.
