Pancreatic Cancer Causes And Prevention

Pancreatic Cancer Causes include smoking. Cigarette smoking is related to a greater risk of pancreatic cancer. A recent study concluded that in general, the percentage of pancreatic cancers attributable to cigarette smoking was 25%. The fast drop in risk associated with quitting implies that stopping smoking could reduce 25% of the 27,000 deaths from pancreatic cancer occurring each year in the United States.

The next of the pancreatic cancer causes, which we will discuss, is the connection with a family history of pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis (this includes both acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis). It is being more and more documented that there is an important ancestral (hereditary) component that is a factor in the development of pancreatic cancer.

Five or six well-known genetic syndromes are linked with pancreatic cancer. A rare but significant one is hereditary pancreatitis, which results from a single gene irregularity. This causes damage to the pancreatic gland by free activity of digestive enzymes. Members of families who carry this gene have a chance of getting pancreatic cancer by the time they are forty and usually do.

Pancreatic cancer causes can be age and sex related for example the male to female proportion of pancreatic cancer is three to one. It rarely develops in any one under fifty years old and is five times more common in African American people than white people.

An important factor that must be considered when looking at pancreatic cancer causes is chronic pancreatitis. Excessive alcohol intake or gallstones usually cause chronic pancreatitis and the subsequent inflammation of the pancreas. Pancreatic cancer causes can include the linked risk factor with diabetes. The pancreatic islet cells, in the tail of the pancreas produce insulin and this is affected when pancreatic cancer is present. There are many studies evaluating the exact relationship between diabetes and chronic pancreatitis but at the moment, it is contentious.

Most of this article has focused on pancreatic cancer causes so it’s also worth spending some time considering prevention. As discussed earlier on, some lifestyle behaviors can be changed to decrease the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Stopping smoking, eating a low fat and high fiber diet, reducing alcohol intake, and keeping it to a minimum, especially if your family has an hereditary predisposition for pancreatic cancer.

Probably the most important consideration and question we will have on our minds, is pancreatic cancer prognosis. This is the likely outcome of the disease and treatment. In other words, the chances of getting better and how long we are likely to live. Studies have shown that endocrine pancreatic cancer generally grows slower and has a better prognosis. The amount of research and clinical trials are increasing all the time and despite the fact that pancreatic cancer is not an easy disease to treat. Many people sustain a good quality of life and can stay alive for years even when a progressive disease is diagnosed.