There are some suggested factors that may affect the risk of pancreatic cancer development. These factors include age, race, gender, genetics, and lifestyle habits (such as physical activities, smoking, drinking, and diet).

Similar to all other forms of cancers, the majority of pancreatic cancer occurs in people age 65 or older. Thus, age is the strongest risk factor known for this tumor.

Smokers have an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, making smoking the most consistently observed environmental risk factor. Nearly every study has shown approximately a two-fold increased risk of pancreatic cancer in smokers compared to nonsmokers.

African-Americans are at increased risk of getting pancreatic cancer compared with Caucasians, Hispanics, and Asians. More men than women are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

There continues to be conflicting evidence regarding the association of diabetes and pancreatic cancer. The possible cause and relationship remains difficult to understand. Some studies have indicated that insulin promotes pancreatic tumors and insulin resistance may be an early feature of pancreatic cancer. The same conflicting evidence seems to be true for obesity.

Dietary factors may contribute to some pancreatic cancer cases, although due to limited and inconsistent study findings the specific role remains unclear. A high fat, high calorie diet may increase risk, while fresh fruits and vegetables, folate, and fiber seem to lower the risk and are potentially protective. The relationship between alcohol consumption and pancreatic cancer is modest at best. Compared to Caucasians, however, African-American men with a heavy alcohol drinking habit and African-American women with a moderate-to-heavy drinking habit may be at a significantly higher associated risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Coffee or caffeine consumption as a risk factor is difficult to separate from smoking and is not considered to be carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Most recent studies have confirmed the lack of significant associations for intakes of total caffeine and a risk of pancreatic cancer.

Some cases of pancreatic cancer exhibit a definite familial clustering and it is estimated that 10% of cases are due to hereditary factors. The majority of these familial clustering’s have an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance, while other families develop pancreatic cancer associated with cancer syndromes. In addition to cancer syndromes, having hereditary pancreatitis, may result in an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. This, however, explains no more than 3-4% of all cases of pancreatic cancer. Cystic fibrosis patients are also at an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The fact that not all genetically affected individuals develop the disease strongly implies, however, that some factors other than genetic abnormalities play a role in the development of pancreatic cancer.

Many people with pancreatic cancer have none of these risk factors and likewise, many people with these known risk factors never develop pancreatic cancer. If you feel you are at increased risk of pancreatic cancer you should discuss your concerns with your doctor.

The registration and monitoring of pancreatic cancer-prone families (familial pancreatic cancer and hereditary chronic pancreatitis) are important resources for multidisciplinary research programs that will enable the identification of susceptibility genes, surveillance programs, and early detection and prevention strategies. It is of practical importance that the rate of occurrence of pancreatic cancer in these high-risk individuals is significantly higher than in the general population. Ultimately, detailed clinical, biochemical, genetic, nutritional, molecular biological and environmental information from this high-risk group will provide useful data in the identification of risk, prevention and therapy of this dismal disease. A comparison of the information gained from this group and from sporadic cases will be of significant clinical and epidemiological importance.