Pancreatic Cancer Causes

At this point, researchers have not yet identified any pancreatic cancer causes; however, research has shown that there are certain risk factors for pancreatic cancer. While these risk factors are not pancreatic cancer causes, they do increase a person's chances of developing the disease. Examples of risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking cigarettes, having diabetes, and being male.

 

Pancreatic Cancer Causes: An Introduction

Researchers have not yet identified any exact pancreatic cancer causes. Doctors can seldom explain why one person will get pancreatic cancer and another person will not. However, it is clear that this disease is not contagious. Pancreatic cancer research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop pancreatic cancer. A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chances of developing a disease. However, such risk factors are not pancreatic cancer causes.
 

Pancreatic Cancer Causes: Know the Risk Factors

Specific pancreatic cancer risk factors include:
 
  • Growing older (risk increases with age)
  • Smoking cigarettes
  • Having diabetes
  • Being male
  • Being African American
  • Having a family history of pancreatic, colon, or ovarian cancer
  • Having certain hereditary conditions
  • Having chronic pancreatitis.
 
Age
The likelihood of developing pancreatic cancer increases with age. Pancreatic cancer occurs more often in people over the age of 60 than in younger people.
 
Smoking Cigarettes
Cigarette smokers are two or three times more likely than nonsmokers to develop pancreatic cancer.
(Pancreatic Cancer Causes Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD