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World J Gastroenterol. Nov 28, 2016; 22(44): 9694-9705
Published online Nov 28, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i44.9694
Epidemiology of pancreatic cancer
Milena Ilic, Irena Ilic
Milena Ilic, Irena Ilic, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Author contributions: All authors equally contributed to this paper with conception and design of the study, literature review and analysis, drafting and critical revision and editing, and final approval of the final version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Milena Ilic, MD, PhD, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, S. Markovica 69, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia. drmilenailic@yahoo.com
Telephone: +381-34-306800 Fax: +381-34-306800
Received: July 3, 2016
Peer-review started: July 4, 2016
First decision: August 19, 2016
Revised: August 30, 2016
Accepted: September 28, 2016
Article in press: September 28, 2016
Published online: November 28, 2016
Processing time: 146 Days and 1.7 Hours
Abstract

Cancer of the pancreas remains one of the deadliest cancer types. Based on the GLOBOCAN 2012 estimates, pancreatic cancer causes more than 331000 deaths per year, ranking as the seventh leading cause of cancer death in both sexes together. Globally, about 338000 people had pancreatic cancer in 2012, making it the 11th most common cancer. The highest incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer are found in developed countries. Trends for pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality varied considerably in the world. A known cause of pancreatic cancer is tobacco smoking. This risk factor is likely to explain some of the international variations and gender differences. The overall five-year survival rate is about 6% (ranges from 2% to 9%), but this vary very small between developed and developing countries. To date, the causes of pancreatic cancer are still insufficiently known, although certain risk factors have been identified, such as smoking, obesity, genetics, diabetes, diet, inactivity. There are no current screening recommendations for pancreatic cancer, so primary prevention is of utmost importance. A better understanding of the etiology and identifying the risk factors is essential for the primary prevention of this disease.

Keywords: Pancreatic cancer; Epidemiology; Incidence; Mortality; Trend; Risk factors

Core tip: Pancreatic cancer is the one of leading causes of cancer mortality and one of the most lethal malignant neoplasms across the world. The highest incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer are found in developed countries. The estimated 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is about 5%. The causes of pancreatic cancer are still insufficiently known, although certain risk factors have been identified, such as cigarette smoking, positive family history and genetics, diabetes mellitus, obesity, dietary factors, alcohol use, physical inactivity. There are no current screening recommendations for pancreatic cancer, so primary prevention is of utmost importance.