A pancreatic cancer specialist has warned that thousands of people could be mistaking little-known signs of the disease for common health issues. 

Dubbed the 'silent killer' due to its subtle symptoms, pancreatic cancer kills around 10,000 people in the UK every year. 

According to the charity Pancreatic Cancer Action, it is the deadliest common cancer and, currently, more than half of people die within three months of diagnosis.

Eight in ten cases are diagnosed too late. This is because common symptoms are often mistaken for other, more common ailments such as IBS.

Now, Dr Neville Menezes, a consultant pancreatic surgeon at Ashford and St Peters Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and a founding member of the charity has urged Britons to be vigilant for specific symptoms of the disease.

He said: 'Pancreatic cancer can develop quietly. By the time symptoms become severe, the disease is often advanced.

'Recognising subtle changes in your body and acting quickly can make all the difference.

'These symptoms don't always mean pancreatic cancer, but if they persist for more than four weeks, it's crucial to see your GP.' 

The often overlooked symptom is 'persistent abdominal or back pain that doesn't go away and does not respond to medical treatment,' he added. 

The second, meanwhile, is unexplained weight loss or a persistent loss of appetite. 

Known medically as Cachexia, or wasting syndrome, the symptom causes extreme loss of muscle and fat.

People with early-stage cancers don’t usually get cachexia, research shows.

But up to four in five of people with advanced cancer develop some degree of cachexia.

In cancer, it's thought to be driven by inflammation.

That's because inflammation can promote muscle wastage and a tumour can take energy away from the rest of the body.

Jaundice, when the skin or eyes turn yellow, which is often accompanied by dark urine or pale stools, is another key sign, Dr Menezes said. 

Digestive issues, such as  nausea, indigestion, bloating or changes in bowel habits that are persisting for no apparent reason,' may also indicate pancreatic cancer, he added. 

Such signs, are also key indicators of potential bowel cancer.  

Itchy skin and 'new-onset diabetes' which has been recently diagnosed with no prior history of it, are the other key symptoms of pancreatic cancer, he added. 

This is because the pancreas produces hormones such as insulin and glucagon, which help convert sugar from food into energy.

Pancreatic cancer can inhibit the gland from making enough of these hormones — which can lead to unstable blood sugar levels. 

His warning follows a concerning rise in the illness, which also claimed the life of actor Alan Rickman in 2016, just six months after his diagnosis. 

Cases have risen by almost ten per cent in last decade and it is estimated there could be around 16,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer in the UK by 2040.