Causes and risk of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer is the 11th most common cancer in the UK.
Over 7,600 people a year get it. It is more common in older people,
with 80% of patients over 60. It is uncommon in people under
40.
Causes
We are still trying to determine the causes of pancreatic
cancer, and for this more research is required. We have learned
that mutations in the DNA of pancreatic cells play a large role in
the development of cancer and that these mutations cause pancreatic
cells to behave abnormally. These DNA mutations may be caused by
our habits or environment (e.g. smoking) or less commonly may be
inherited. The mutations cause pancreatic cells to grow in a rapid
uncontrolled manner, eventually developing into a mass or tumour
which no longer works the same way as the original damaged cell.
For this reason the research work PCUK supports is vital; in order
to find more effective treatments, a better understanding of the
causes of pancreatic cancer is critical.
Risks
Despite the fact that the causes are poorly understood, there
are things that do increase the risk of developing pancreatic
cancer.
Smoking
Up to 1 in 5 (20%) of pancreatic cancers may be linked to smoking
(cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco increase the risk).
Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease of the endocrine function of the pancreas in
the cells that usually make insulin. Diabetes is a common disease
and there may be a slight increased risk of developing pancreatic
cancer. It is also possible that the cancer causes some cases of
diabetes. If you are over 50, develop diabetes and start losing
weight for no obvious reason, your doctor should check you out for
other pancreatic disease.
Diet, body weight and exercise
A number of lifestyle related factors may increase the risk
of developing pancreatic cancer including a diet that is high in
saturated fat and sugar, not eating enough fresh vegetables
and fruit (this is also true for other cancer types) and being
overweight and doing little or no exercise. Tomatoes which
contain a substance called Lycopene and Vitamin C may give you
added protection against developing pancreatic cancer.
Other medical conditions
Chronic pancreatitis (long-term inflammation of
the pancreas) - can increase the risk of developing pancreatic
cancer.
Hereditary pancreatitis - a rare
condition, typically develops at a early age with recurrent
episodes of chronic pancreatitis. It is likely that 4 out of 10
people with this condition will develop pancreatic cancer.
Hereditary factors
It is thought that about 1 person in 10 who develops pancreatic
cancer does so because of inherited factors. Most of these are due
to the occurrence of very rare medical disorders. Such as:
Familial cancer syndromes
Where an inherited faulty gene causes a number of different
cancers to develop within the members of one family, these
include
- the BRCA2 gene which is linked to breast, ovarian and prostate
cancer
- hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer
- familial adenomatous polyposis
- familial atypical mole and melanoma
- Peutz-Jeghers syndrome which also causes polyps in the stomach
and intestines
Hereditary Pancreatitis
A rare condition in which family members develop pancreatitis
because of a faulty gene
Hereditary Pancreatic Neuroendocrine
Tumours
Including multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1) and von
Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL), neurofibromatosis type 1 and tuberous
sclerosis.
Familial Pancreatic Cancer
Some families don't have any of these medical conditions but have
at least two first degree relatives affected by pancreatic cancer.
(A first degree relative is a father, mother, son, daughter,
brother or sister.) These families may have familial pancreatic
cancer. We don't know which gene or genes are linked to familial
pancreatic cancer, and this is an active area of research.
It is recommended that if your family may have an increased risk
of pancreatic cancer you are referred to a specialist cancer
genetics centre, where you will be counselled about your personal
risk and offered the chance to take part in screening. See the
section on screening for further information.