Pancreatic cancer rates ‘rising rapidly’ among younger women, study warns

Researchers called for further studies into the cause of the trend

Rates of pancreatic cancer are rising across the US, with figures rising “rapidly” among younger women compared to men of the same age, scientists have warned.

A large-scale nationwide study conducted by researchers from the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Institute in Los Angeles found that rates of pancreatic cancer among women under the age of 55 rose 2.4 per cent higher than rates among men of the same age.

The rates rose even further among young Black women, increasing 2.23 per cent more than young Black men.

Scientists examined data on patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 2001 and 2018 from the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) database, which represents an estimated 64.5 per cent of the US population.

Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers and accounts for three per cent of all deaths by cancer in the US. In the UK, it is the fifth most common cause of cancer and results in around 9,600 deaths every year, according to Cancer Research UK.

Writing in the journal Gastroenterology this week, Srinivas Gaddam, associate director of Pancreatic Biliary Research at Cedars-Sinai and senior author of the study, said: “We can tell that the rate of pancreatic cancer among women is rising rapidly, which calls attention to the need for further research in this area.

“There’s a need to understand these trends, and to make changes today so this doesn’t affect women disproportionately in the future.”

He added that the study found that while the survival rate for pancreatic cancer is improving year by year, the improvement “is largely among men”.

“The mortality rate among women is not improving,” Gaddam said.

The researchers suggested that the type and location of tumours could be a reason for the increased rates, as rates of pancreatic head adenocarcinoma – situated at the head of the pancreas – appear to have risen.

Gaddam emphasised that the increase is small and that the findings should not be cause for alarm, but called for further studies to examine the cause of the trends.

“The data shows us a small increase in risk of pancreatic cancer,” he explained. “That awareness might refocus people on the need to stop smoking, reduce alcohol use, eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and manage their weight. These lifestyle changes all help decrease the risk of pancreatic cancer.”

Potential symptoms of pancreatic cancer include unexplained weight loss, jaundice, lack of energy and a high temperature, according to the NHS.

Some people also experience symptoms that can affect digestion, such as nausea or vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation, pain at the upper part of the stomach or back, and symptoms of indigestion.