Study Focuses On Issues That Contribute To The Risk Of Pancreatic Cancer

Statistics show that within the last decade, rates of pancreatic cancer have been slightly increasing. This health issue accounts for about 3 percent of all cancers in the United States and about 7 percent of all cancer deaths.

Now, new research published in the journal Cancer reveals that, oftentimes, the health issue is usually detected at a very late stage. It has a 5-year survival rate of less than 5 percent. Furthermore, identifying the problem early on can be difficult.

Study findings revealed that nearly 9 percent of patients who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer had at least one parent or sibling who was also diagnosed with the health issue--possibly suggesting a genetic component.

Researchers also found that active smoking increased the risk of the health issue. 

"These findings are important because they suggest that the genes we inherit from our parents likely play a significant role in our lifetime risk of developing pancreatic cancer," said lead study author Andrew Biankin, MBBS, PhD, of the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, in a news release. "Secondly, they emphasize that when assessing someone's individual risk of developing pancreatic cancer, it may be important to assess not just family history of pancreatic cancer but other malignancies too. Finally, our data emphasize the importance of smoking abstinence."