Synonyms
Exocrine pancreatic cancer; Pancreatic carcinoma; Pancreatic adenocarcinoma
Definition and Characteristics
Includes cancers of the exocrine pancreas, excluding tumors derived from the pancreatic islets. Pancreatic cancer has an extremely poor prognosis, with mortality rates nearly matching incidence rates [1]. Incidence is rare before age 45, but increases steadily thereafter. The majority of patients have regional or distant spread at diagnosis. Risk factors include cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and chronic pancreatitis. Multiple hereditary syndromes increase the risk for pancreatic cancer as well, including hereditary chronic pancreatitis, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, BRCA2, ataxia-telangectasia, and familial atypical multiple-mole melanoma (FAMMM) [1]. Patients with hereditary pancreatic cancer develop pancreatic cancer earlier in life compared to sporadic cases.
Prevalence
232,241 new cases and 226,949 deaths yearly worldwide [2].
Genes
Multiple genetic...
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Kendall, S.D., Blobe, G.C. (2009). Pancreatic Cancer. In: Lang, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29676-8_3272
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29676-8_3272
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-67136-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-29676-8
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