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Legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin died of a rare form of pancreatic cancer, a disease that is difficult to discover early and among the most deadly forms of cancer. ... Franklin's family said in a statement that she died from advanced "pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type," a diagnosis confirmed by Franklin's oncologist, Dr. Philip Phillips of Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit. The disease begins in the pancreas but quickly spreads to nearby organs. It is rarely detected in the early stages, experts said. (Alltucker, 8/16)

Aretha Franklin’s death from pancreatic cancer highlights the viciousness with which the disease attacks, killing tens of thousands of Americans a year. It’s not clear when the Queen of Soul was diagnosed. She had what she called a health scare in 2010, then finally stopped performing in November, and by last week celebrities were coming to pay their last respects. Pancreatic cancer is among the nation’s deadliest diseases. Here’s why. (Basu, 8/16)

Pancreatic cancer is the third-leading cause of death from cancer in the United States, after lung and colorectal cancers. The lifetime risk of developing it is about 1 in 63 for men, and 1 in 65 for women. This year, about 55,440 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and the disease will kill about 44,330 people, according to the American Cancer Society. (Landau, 8/16)

Californians are living longer with most types of cancer, due to earlier detection and more effective treatments, according to new research from the University of California-Davis. But racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities persist, the report found. ... They found improved survival rates for patients with all but five types of cancer. (Gorman, 8/17)

UnitedHealthcare denied [Kate] Weissman coverage for proton beam therapy after multiple appeals, saying "there is not enough medical evidence to show proton beam therapy is effective for your particular condition." One of the insurance medical directors who twice reviewed Weissman's appeals wasn't board-certified in "gynecologic oncology," according to the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, raising troubling questions about why she was involved in a cancer case. The denials put Weissman in a terrible predicament: pay $95,000 out of pocket for what her doctors said was the best chance at a cure or continue with fully covered standard radiation, which could lead to lifelong complications. (Drash, 8/16)