Pancreatic Cancer: Study Confirms Pancreatic Cancer Rates Rising Faster in Women Than Men

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• Feb 11, 2023 | Dhupali Das

The findings were released in the peer-reviewed journal Gastroenterology...

Digital Desk: Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center found that younger women are more likely than same-age men to get pancreatic cancer, according to a comprehensive national survey. The findings were released in the peer-reviewed journal Gastroenterology.

"We can see that the rate of pancreatic cancer among women is rising rapidly,  which calls attention to the need for further research in this area," said Srinivas Gaddam, MD, associate director of Pancreatic Biliary Research at Cedars-Sinai and senior researcher on the study.

As per Gaddam, understanding these trends and adopting changes now will prevent future inequities in the treatment of women. The pancreas, which is located directly behind the stomach, generates hormones and enzymes that aid in sugar and food digestion.

The majority of men than women are affected by pancreatic cancer, which has the highest death rate of all major cancers and accounts for 3% of all cancer deaths in the U.S. The National Program of Cancer Registries (NCPR) database, which includes data on pancreatic cancer patients diagnosed between 2001 and 2018, comprises approximately 64.5% of the US population.

Researchers discovered that pancreatic cancer rates were rising in both men and women. The investigators have proposed that tumour type and location may be a potential explanation. The researchers discovered that the occurrence of pancreatic head adenocarcinoma, a particularly dangerous and aggressive kind of tumour located at the head of the pancreas, seemed to be increasing.

Here are some symptoms of pancreatic cancer

Backache

Nausea

Loss of appetite

Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)

Light-colored stools

Dark urine

Itchy skin

Recently diagnosed diabetes

Diabetes that is getting harder to manage

Blood clots

Fatigue