Causes of pancreatic cancer

The cause of pancreatic cancer is unknown, but it may be related to the following factors.

1. Smoking Smoking has been recognized as a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. A case-control study conducted in Shanghai in 1996 showed that smokers have an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, with the relative risk (95% Cl) for men and women being 1.5 (1.1-2.7) and 1.5 (0.9-2.5), respectively, and positively correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the number of years of smoking. The mechanism of the relationship between smoking and the risk of pancreatic cancer is still unclear, but it may be related to the carcinogens contained in tobacco. Animal experiments have found that nitrosamine metabolites in tobacco can induce pancreatic cancer.

2. A high-protein, high-cholesterol diet can promote the occurrence of pancreatic cancer. The incidence of pancreatic cancer in Japan is significantly positively correlated with a high-meat, low-fat diet. The increase in the incidence of pancreatic cancer in some countries in recent years may be related to the westernization of the dietary structure. As the living standards of developing countries continue to improve, the dietary structure has changed to high protein, high cholesterol, and low fiber, and the incidence of pancreatic cancer has also continued to rise. There is no consensus on the role of coffee in the development of pancreatic cancer. A controlled study showed that coffee was significantly positively correlated with the incidence of pancreatic cancer, and the relationship between drinking and the occurrence of pancreatic cancer is still uncertain. Studies have found that ordinary drinking is not a risk factor for pancreatic cancer, but alcoholism increases the risk of pancreatic cancer.

3. Chronic pancreatitis It has been clinically observed that pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis coexist frequently.

4. Diabetes There is still controversy about the relationship between diabetes and pancreatic cancer. Some scholars have proposed that we should pay attention to the risk of pancreatic cancer in patients with atypical diabetes.

5. Other reports have shown that the risk of pancreatic cancer increases after gastrointestinal surgery such as cholecystectomy and subtotal gastrectomy, but some people believe that these surgeries have nothing to do with the incidence of pancreatic cancer.