How do you get pancreatic cancer?

These factors are present more often in people who get pancreatic cancer than in people who don't. There are multiple pancreatic risk factors, although most are only weakly associated with the disease. Many people with pancreatic cancer don't have any one specific risk factor. About one in 76 people will develop pancreatic cancer. read more

Pancreatic cancer is fundamentally a disease caused by damage to the DNA. This damage is often referred to as mutations. These mutations can be inherited from mom or dad, or they can be acquired as we age. read more

For example, many sporadic cases of exocrine pancreatic cancer have changes in the p16 and TP53 genes, which can also be seen in some genetic syndromes. But many pancreatic cancers also have changes in genes such as KRAS, BRAF, and DPC4 (SMAD4), which are not part of inherited syndromes. read more

Diet. A diet high in fat and meat (especially smoked or processed meat) has been linked to pancreatic cancer in animal studies. Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables decreased pancreatic cancer risk in other studies. Still other studies suggest there's no identifiable link between diet and pancreatic cancer. Lycopene and selenium. read more