Risk Factors for pancreatic cancer The exact causes of
pancreatic cancer are not yet well understood. Research studies
have identified certain risk factors that may increase the
likelihood that an individual will develop pancreatic cancer.
The following table describes some of the risk factors
associated with pancreatic cancer. ||Smoking is a significant
risk factor and is the cause of about 25% of all pancreatic
cancer cases. People who smoke cigarettes are 2 times more
likely to develop pancreatic cancer than people who do not
smoke. ||The chance of developing pancreatic cancer increases
with age. Most people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are over
the age of 60. ||If a person’s mother, father, sibling, or child
had pancreatic cancer, then that person’s risk for developing
the disease increases by 2-3 times. The risk increases if a
greater number of family members are affected. Also, the risk of
pancreatic cancer increases if there is a history of familial
breast or colon cancer, familial melanoma, or her