Pancreatic cancer (PC) will affect 48,960 persons in the United States and will result in 40,560 deaths in 2015, according to the American Cancer Society. On a global basis, at least 337,000 persons will be diagnosed with PC. The incidence of PC has increased slightly in the United States, though worldwide cases are likely to increase substantially due to the influence of cigarette smoking, rising obesity and type II diabetes. The development of PC is related to a state of chronic inflammation and insulin resistance. Well-established environmental and personal risk factors for PC include advancing age, cigarette smoking, second-hand tobacco smoke exposure, obesity, inherited familial cancer syndromes, Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, chronic pancreatitis, dietary factors, and diabetes. Other identified associations are human immunodeficiency virus infection, ABO blood group polymorphisms, hepatitis B virus, and Helicobacter pylori.
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