An expert has warned that a common issue could actually be a symptom of a deadly disease (Image: Getty)

A health expert has issued a stark warning that a common ailment could be an indicator of a lethal illness. Neville Menezes, a consultant pancreatic surgeon at Ashford and St Peter's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has cautioned that persistent back pain that "doesn't go away" or is unresponsive to treatment could be a sign of cancer.

Cancer Research UK statistics reveal that pancreatic cancer ranks as the tenth most prevalent type of cancer in the UK. Despite this, it is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths, resulting in approximately 10,100 fatalities in the UK each year.

As suggested by its name, this disease originates in the pancreas, a large gland situated at the b

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