Pancreas: U.S. Racial/Ethnic Cancer Patterns

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Cancer of the pancreas stands out as a highly lethal disease with the poorest likelihood of survival among all of the major malignancies. It accounts for only 2% of all newly diagnosed cancers in the United States each year, but 5% of all cancer deaths. Most pancreatic cancers are adenocarcinomas arising from the pancreatic ductal system. The disease is often far advanced by the time symptoms occur and the diagnosis is established. As indicated by five-year survival rates of less than 5%, successful treatment is rare. Islet cell carcinomas have a better prognosis, but account for less than 2% of all pancreatic cancers. Relatively few cancers arise from the enzyme-producing acinar (glandular) cells that form the bulk of the pancreas.

Men have higher incidence and mortality rates for pancreatic cancer than women in each racial/ethnic group. Black men and women have incidence and mortality rates that are about 50% higher than the rates for whites. Rates for native Hawaiians are somewhat higher than the rates for whites, whereas rates for Hispanics and the Asian-American groups are generally lower. There were too few cases among Alaska Native and American Indian populations to calculate rates.

Pancreatic cancer is rare in the 30-54 years age group. In the 55-69 years age group, incidence rates in the black populations exceed those for whites by about 60%. This difference diminishes somewhat among persons aged 70 years and older. Incidence rates for Japanese men and women exceed those for the white population in the oldest age group. Racial/ethnic patterns in mortality rates by age group closely follow those seen in the incidence rates.

Cigarette smoking has been identified consistently as an important risk factor for cancer of the pancreas. Other risk factors which have been suggested, but not confirmed include coffee drinking, high fat diets, diabetes mellitus and some occupations.

Source: Miller BA, Kolonel LN, Bernstein L, Young, Jr. JL, Swanson GM, West D, Key CR, Liff JM, Glover CS, Alexander GA, et al. (eds). Racial/Ethnic Patterns of Cancer in the United States 1988-1992, National Cancer Institute. NIH Pub. No. 96-4104. Bethesda, MD, 1996.

Graphs showing incidence and mortality for specific racial and ethnic groups including information that may not be discussed in the text above, is available at the NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Web site at: http://seer.cancer.gov/.