Pancreatic Cancer Risk Factors

Pancreatic cancer risk factors - Who drinks three or more glasses of alcoholic beverages - including beer - a day is about one and a half times more likely to get pancreatic cancer than a teetotaler. Moderate drinkers - one to two glasses a day - do not seem to have this increased risk.

This is shown by research by Mirjam Heinen from Maastricht University. She investigated what links there are between dietary and lifestyle factors and the risk of pancreatic cancer.

There appears to be no connection between the consumption of specific alcoholic beverages and the risk of pancreatic cancer. This suggests that it is the alcohol itself that plays a role in the development of pancreatic cancer and not the kind of alcoholic beverage.



Smoking and sport
The study also shows that cigarette smokers are 82 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than non-smokers. Stopping smoking gradually reduces this risk. The longer an ex-smoker has stopped, the lower the risk. After being stopped for 20 years, the risk approaches that of a never-smoker. Also in people who have ever done sports, the risk of getting pancreatic cancer is reduced.

Eating habits
In the study, there appears to be no connection between eating vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and eggs and the risk of pancreatic cancer.

NLCS
Heinen used the research data from the Nederlandse Cohort Studie (NLCS) on nutrition and cancer. Some 120,000 men and women aged between 55 and 69 completed a questionnaire in 1986 about eating habits, lifestyle and other risk factors. Over the years, information about the incidence of cancer and death has been collected.

Cause of death
Pancreatic cancer is in the fifth place of causes of death from cancer in Europe. The chance of surviving pancreatic cancer is among the worst of all forms of cancer. After about 3 months, 50 percent of patients suffering from pancreatic cancer has died. After 5 years, even 94 percent have died with this condition.

Is pancreatic cancer symptoms? Pancreatic cancer is often detected late because the warning symptoms are not very specific, so they can point out other conditions as well.

The clearest symptom is jaundice (icterus), which is characterized by a skin that turns yellow, dark urine and colorless stools. Another symptom of pancreatic cancer is abdominal pain, which radiates to the back and does not disappear in classic treatment with antalgic (painkillers).

Other symptoms and disorders may occur as a result of the functional impairment of a pancreas affected by a tumor:

• vomit
• delay of the intestinal transit
• food intolerance
• chronic diarrhea
• diabetes or worsening of an already existing diabetes
• nausea and hypoglycemia
• stomach ulcers
• unexplained thrombosis (repeated)
• inflammation of the bile ducts
• acute pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
• etc.

Pancreatic cancer is increasingly discovered accidentally

An unexplained fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss are symptoms that occur in most cancers.

Fortunately, nowadays, more and more pancreatic cancers happen to be discovered when patients have an abdomen ultrasound for another reason. Because pancreatic cancer is diagnosed in this case, the patient also has better prospects.

*Image source : National Cancer Institute

References :

1. National Cancer Institute
2. Kenn Isinstituut Bier
3. E-gezondheid