About Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, but this type of cancer is sneaky. It often has no signs or symptoms until it has progressed so far that no treatment is possible. Unlike some other cancers, pancreatic cancer also spreads rapidly over time. For these reasons, patients are often given poor prognosis when diagnosed with this type of cancer.

Risk Factors

• Risk factors are not a guarantee that someone will develop a disease. Identified risk factors simply mean one is more prone to a condition or disease developing as opposed to someone who does not present those same factors. Risk factors can be controllable or uncontrollable. Some of the controllable risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer include cigarette smoking, diabetes, diet, and exercise. Some uncontrollable risk factors include age, race, and gender.

Smoking

• Smoking can cause pancreatic cancer. Statistics calculated by the American Cancer Society indicate that smokers are two to three times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. Statistics also show that 20 to 30 percent of all pancreatic cancers develop in individuals who smoke. The development of cancer in smokers is most likely caused by the chemicals in cigarettes that are known to cause other types of cancer.

Diet and Exercise

• Studies regarding the link between diet and pancreatic cancer are sketchy at best, according to the American Cancer Society. Some studies have found that having a diet high in fat and processed meat increases the chances of developing pancreatic cancer. Other studies show that a diet high in fruits and vegetables decreases pancreatic cancer development. Despite what the studies have shown thus far, no results are definitive.

  The link between exercise and pancreatic cancer is more definitive. Often a lack of exercise can increase one's chances of being overweight or obese. This increases the chances of one developing Type 2 diabetes as an adult. Being overweight, a poor diet and lack of exercise are all risk factors that can lead to the development of pancreatic cancer.

Diabetes

• Type 1 diabetes is generally diagnosed during childhood. Type 2 diabetes is normally diagnosed in adulthood. Type 2 diabetes is generally caused by a person being overweight or obese. Although there are two types of diabetes, only Type 2 diabetes is considered a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. However, although this disease is listed as a risk factor for pancreatic cancer, the situation is usually reversed. Generally speaking, often individuals who develop pancreatic cancer also develop Type 2 diabetes, not the other way around.

Age and Gender

• The development of pancreatic cancer increases with age. Nearly 80 percent of individuals who develop pancreatic cancer do so between the ages of 60 and 80. The American Cancer Society statistics on age and the development of pancreatic cancer show that nearly all pancreatic cancer cases are diagnosed after the age of 45. Almost 90 percent of pancreatic cancer patients are over the age of 55 and 70 percent are older than 65. Along with this information, the Society also states that the average age of a person at the time of diagnosis is 72.

Race

• African Americans are more likely than any other race to develop pancreatic cancer. The exact reasons for this are unknown at this time. Science predicts that the reasons may be because of increased smoking habits, increased incidence of being overweight, and socioeconomic factors that effect this race and not others.