Causes and risk factors of pancreatic cancer

Eating lots of red or processed meat may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. Processed meats include ham, sausages, bacon and burgers.

Having a diet high in fat and sugar, but low in fresh fruit and vegetables, can also increase the risk.

Most people with pancreatic cancer have no history of pancreatic cancer in their family. But about 1 in 10 pancreatic cancers (10%) may be linked to faulty genes that run in families. You may be at higher risk if you have any of these factors:

• Two or more of your first-degree relatives have pancreatic cancer. First-degree relatives are your parents, siblings and children.
• Some family members have the breast cancer gene BRCA2.
• Some family members have the condition Lynch syndrome/HNPCC (hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer).
• Some family members have a large number of unusual moles (FAMMM – familial atypical multiple mole melanoma).
• You have Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS). This causes multiple growths (polyps) in the stomach and bowel. It also causes dark spots on the face and hands.
• Other conditions such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) or ataxia telangiectasia. People with these conditions have a higher risk of getting different kinds of cancer.

If your family history includes any of the above, you can be referred to a specialist clinic. They can give you advice and assess you. They may offer you regular screening tests to try to find the cancer early if it develops. Doctors are still researching the best way to screen for pancreatic cancer. You may be offered screening as part of a cancer research trial.