An epidemiological review of pancreatic cancer with special reference to India

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a rare cancer site, ranked 14th in incidence and 7th in mortality in the world. In India, pancreas ranks 24th with 10860 new cases (1.03%) and 18th in mortality. Although PC is a rare site, it is a leading mortality site across the globe and very little data are available about the epidemiology of PC. It is hypothesized that due to the changing lifestyle globally and, in India, the rates of PC will increase in the near future. Thus, this study aims to report PC incidence, mortality, globally but with more emphasis with respect to Indian population and associated factors for PC, since changing lifestyle has had an impact on the occurrence of the disease over the years. Incidence and mortality rates are obtained from GLOBOCAN-2018 and cancer incidence in five continents (CI5- XI), and Indian Council of Medical Research publication on Indian cancer registry database. Incidence is higher in elderly population (more than 50% in 65–75 years). The incidence is highest among Northeastern Indian regions. Risk factors include smoking, high alcohol consumption, non-vegetarian diets (modifiable) and age, race, and the genetic predispositions (non-modifiable) risk factors. No case–control studies on risk factors are reported yet based on the Indian population. Increase of PC numbers is a cause for concern, since it mostly manifests on the lifestyle factors, which is rapidly changing in India, like in other parts of the globe. This study will be useful in giving some leads on the PC’s possible causes and thereby help in formulating strategies for reducing the burden of this disease.