How rare is pancreatic cancer?

Feb. 9, 2011 -- Two kidney cancer drugs show promise for the treatment of the rare type of pancreatic cancer that Apple CEO Steve Jobs was diagnosed with in 2004. In studies to be published tomorrow in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers report that the targeted therapies dramatically improved disease-free survival times in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. read more

Pancreatic cancer rarely occurs before the age of 40, and more than half of cases of pancreatic adenocarcinoma occur in those over 70. Risk factors for pancreatic cancer include tobacco smoking, obesity, diabetes, and certain rare genetic conditions. About 25% of cases are linked to smoking, and 5–10% are linked to inherited genes. read more

Patients with Rare Forms of Pancreatic Cancer. The following pancreatic cancer patient experiences are people who have suffered rare forms of pancreatic cancer who have shared their stories with us. read more