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Health watchdogs have warned GPs to pay careful attention to patients' weight loss after a doctor missed a patient's lethal pancreatic cancer, which killed them within weeks.

A family doctor based in the Scottish Highlands failed to recognise and escalate the 'red flag' symptom in a patient which led to an 'unreasonable delay' in diagnosis, according to a report.

The investigation found that indicators were clear from the patient's first contact with the unnamed practice but it missed multiple chances to investigate further or refer urgently.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of the disease, killing around three-quarters of those diagnosed within a year.

It is typically diagnosed at a late stage, when treatment is less effective, because it causes few vague symptoms early on.

But health officials say doctors cannot afford to ignore early potential warning signs, which include unexplained weight loss, fatigue, nausea and abdominal pain.

Now, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) has released the results of an investigation into the misdiagnosis of one patient.

The unnamed patient was diagnosed with diabetes after experiencing significant unexplained weight loss.

They were prescribed medication for the condition, but continued to suffer symptoms including weight loss.

The once daily pill was shown to double the life expectancy of pancreatic cancer patients, with experts hailing the drug as 'landscape changing'

After months of suffering, they asked their doctor if they could have pancreatic cancer.

Eventually, the patient was referred to gastroenterology specialists, before blood tests confirmed pancreatic cancer. They died just six weeks later.

The investigation found that 'red flag symptoms of pancreatic cancer' had been present from the patient's first contact with the practice.

'From this point until the urgent suspicion of cancer referral, there were missed opportunities to recognise the significance of A's symptoms and refer them onward for further investigation,' the SPSO reported.

The unnamed medical practice has been ordered to apologise to the patient's family for an 'unreasonable delay in recognising specific symptoms' indicative of cancer, which led to inadequate end-of-life care.

The watchdog also criticised the GP for an 'unreasonable reliance on telephone consultations', which may have exacerbated the delay.

Pancreatic cancer has become steadily more common over the past 30 years, with cases increasing fastest among younger patients and women – although the disease, which led to actor Alan Rickman’s death aged 69, still overwhelmingly affects older people.

The pancreas is a palm-sized, pear-shaped gland that sits behind the stomach and plays a vital role in digestion.

When it becomes inflamed, this can lead to acute pancreatitis – which can cause severe abdominal pain, nausea and fever.

It usually settles within days or weeks. But if inflammation persists or keeps returning, it can develop into chronic pancreatitis – a long-term condition known to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Around 10,500 people in the UK are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer every year, and more than half die within three months of diagnosis because most cases are detected only at an advanced stage.

Rates of the disease have risen by around 17 per cent in Britain since the 1990s, with soaring obesity rates and environmental factors thought to be driving the trend.

While anyone can get pancreatic cancer and it is not always clear what causes it, smoking, obesity, processed meats and alcohol are all known to increase the risk.

Potential symptoms include jaundice – where the whites of the eyes and skin turn yellow – alongside itchy skin and dark urine.

Until recently, highly toxic chemotherapy has been the only treatment option available for these patients.

But following a breakthrough in May, patients may soon live twice as long without their disease progressing, thanks to a drug called daraxonrasib.

The findings have been submitted to US regulators, with an application to UK regulators expected to follow as developers seek approval for the drug.