As reported by the National Cancer Institute, 29,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer every year in the United States. The pancreas is both an exocrine gland and an endocrine gland and is six inches long, located just below the stomach and shaped like a pear. The exocrine part of the pancreas secretes digestive enzymes that breakdown food macromolecules in the small intestine. The endocrine portion of the pancreas secretes insulin and other hormones that control blood glucose levels and nutrient metabolism. Greater than 95 percent of pancreatic tumors are in the exocrine portion of the pancreas, and only 2,000 to 3,000 individuals per year develop pancreatic endocrine tumors. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers worldwide and most people diagnosed with the disease live less than four months. The greatest association of increased pancreatic cancer risk is with smoking. Other risk factors for pancreatic cancer are male gender, age, genetics, diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, obesity and possibly alcoholism. Most people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are between the ages of 60 and 80.
Genetics
Pancreatica reports that about 10 percent of pancreatic cancers are genetic in origin. The National Cancer Institute states that if an immediate family member has the disease, the risk of also developing pancreatic cancer triples for other immediate family members. Additionally, having a family history of uterine and/or breast cancer increases the risk of pancreatic cancer.
Chronic Pancreatitis
Chronic pancreatitis, or long-term inflammation of the pancreas, can progress to pancreatic cancer. Chronic toxic injury, infections and autoimmune disease can cause inflammation of the pancreas. It was reported in the June 2010 issue of "Best Practice and Research: Clinical Gastroenterology" that five percent of individuals with chronic pancreatitis develop pancreatic cancer, and disease progression takes one to two decades.
Alcohol
Some studies have reported that alcoholism can cause chronic pancreatitis with the eventual progression to pancreatic cancer. However a review of multiple studies published in "Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology" in March 2008 found no evidence of an increased risk of pancreatic cancer with chronic alcohol consumption. Despite the controversy in the medical literature on alcohol and the associated risk of developing pancreatic cancer, a review study published in the "World Journal of Gastroenterology" in 2009 states that recent evidence from studies carried out around the world provide evidence that increased alcohol consumption is a risk factor for developing chronic pancreatitis.
Smoking
As reported in the December 2009 issue of "Nature Reviews: Gastroenterology and Hepatology", 20 to 25 percent of pancreatic tumors are caused from smoking. Several studies also demonstrate the risk increases with heavier smoking.
Diabetes
A review of several studies reported in "The Journal of the American Medical Association" found an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer in patients with diabetes. This study along with several other well-controlled studies state that the increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer is near two-fold in individuals with diabetes.
Diet
Multiple studies have evaluated certain dietary factors and pancreatic cancer risk. High cholesterol intake, diets rich in red meat and high caloric intake have sometimes been correlated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. A May 2010 study published in the "Archives for Internal Medicine" found that obese individuals have just greater than a 30 percent increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer.
Gender and Race
Pancreatic cancer is more prevalent in males than females. The risk of pancreatic cancer is also higher in African-Americans than in Asians, Hispanics and whites.
References
- Cancer.gov: NCI Booklet: What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Pancreas
- Pancreatic.org: Confronting pancreatic cancer
- "Journal of Epidemiology": Overview of the Epidemiology of Pancreatic Cancer Focusing on the JACC Study
- Pubmed.gov: "Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology": Pancreatic cancer: a review of the evidence on causation
- Pubmed.gov: "World Journal of Gastroenterology": Etiology of chronic pancreatitis: Has it changed in the last decade?
