According to the American Cancer Society, smokers are twice as likely to get pancreatic cancer as people who have never smoked. Some studies have shown a risk of increasing to 70% for the most common type of pancreatic cancer - Duodenal pancreatic cancer (PDAC).
Not only cigarettes, cigarettes and smoke-free cigarettes are also associated with a higher risk. Smoking since childhood, using unfiltered tobacco products, or exposure to secondhand smoke from childhood all increase the risk of disease.
The mechanism that causes pancreatic cancer of cigarettes
According to Medical News Today, cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, of which at least 60 are carcinogenic. The main mechanisms include:
Pancreatic cell damage: Smoke causes cells producing digestive juices to grow abnormally, forming tumors.
Decreased insulin production: Increased risk of diabetes a risk factor for pancreatic cancer.
Causes inflammation and pancreatic fibrosis: Provides a favorable environment for cancer cells to thrive.
External tissue damage: This is where more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cases occur.
Other risk factors for pancreatic cancer
In addition to smoking, other factors include: Obesity, diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, age (common after 45 years old), family history of pancreatic cancer.
Some genetic diseases include: Genetic breast cancer, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, Lynch syndrome, genetic pancreatitis.
