According to a story from prweb.com, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Allegheny Health Network (AHC) Cancer Institute have entered a partnership that plans to investigate the link between obesity and pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly cancers. It is firmly established that obesity is a risk factor for the disease, but the exact reason why is not well understood.
About Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most dangerous forms of cancer. The disease affects the pancreas, which is a glandular organ that is situated behind the stomach. Part of the reason that pancreatic cancer is so dangerous is that it rarely produces noticeable symptoms until it has reached an advanced stage and begun to spread. However, even when detected earlier, it is difficult to treat effectively. Risk factors for pancreatic cancer include being male, old age, African-American ancestry, family history, smoking, obesity, diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, and a diet heavy in red meat, processed meat, or meat cooked at very high temperatures. Symptoms include depression, upper abdominal pain, jaundice, diabetes, constipation, weight loss, and appetite loss. Treatment approaches for this cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Even with heavy treatment, pancreatic cancer almost always returns. The five year survival rate is just five percent. To learn more about pancreatic cancer, click here.
Obesity and Pancreatic Cancer
In recent years the number of cases and deaths related to pancreatic cancer have been on the rise. It is difficult to explain this increase without acknowledging that obesity rates in the US are also increasing and continue to be the among the highest in the world. Around 40 percent of adults in the country are obese.
An obese person sees their risk of pancreatic cancer increase by 20 percent. At this juncture, the exact reason why obesity increases risk is still a mystery. Dr. Dulabh Monga of the AHC Cancer Institute says that one of their hypotheses is that as fat cells increase around the vicinity of the pancreas, they affect the ability of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, of performing their usual anti-tumor activities.
It is also worth noting that obesity is also associated with other pancreatic cancer risk factors like diabetes and a diet high in red, processed meat. Hopefully this partnership will reveal vital information about pancreatic cancer and obesity that will inform treatment and management going forward.
