November Is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

Unlike other cancer diagnoses, those with pancreatic cancer face survival rates that have not improved much over several decades. The American Cancer Society estimates more than 44,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2011, and approximately 94 percent of pancreatic cancer patients will not survive past five years after diagnosis. It takes an average of 6.8 years for a pancreatic cancer cell to spread to other organs, and an average of 2.7 years from then until the patient’s death, according to a study published in the journal Nature.

The good news is that diet can be protective against pancreatic cancer. An Italian study in Cancer Causes and Control shows that diets rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce pancreatic cancer risk. Those who consumed the most fruits and vegetables had an estimated 40 percent decreased risk, compared with those who ate the least. The study found that frequent meat consumption can double risk and that table sugar and white potatoes also increase risk. The researchers suspect insulin resistance may play a role in pancreatic cancer.

Yachida S, Jones S, Bozic I, et al. Distant metastasis occurs late during the genetic evolution of pancreatic cancer. Nature. 2010;467:1114-1117.

Polesel J, Talamini R, Negri E, et al. Dietary habits and risk of pancreatic cancer: an Italian case-control study. Cancer Causes Control. 2010;21:493-500.

(Image by Art Jonak) 
(Article excerpted from PCRM.org)