Who gets cancer of the pancreas and what causes it?
Most people who get cancer of the pancreas are between 60 and 80 years old. It is rare in the under 50s. We don’t really know what causes this cancer, but some people seem to have an increased risk of getting it: Cigarette smokers are definitely more at risk. Cigarettes contain chemicals that are known to cause cancer. People with chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) are more at risk, especially if they have inherited the disease. Very rarely, pancreatic cancer runs in a family – but there is no way of testing for this.
