Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 21, 2021; 27(27): 4298-4321
Published online Jul 21, 2021. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i27.4298
Pancreatic cancer: A review of epidemiology, trend, and risk factors
Jian-Xiong Hu, Cheng-Fei Zhao, Wen-Biao Chen, Qi-Cai Liu, Qu-Wen Li, Yan-Ya Lin, Feng Gao
Jian-Xiong Hu, Yan-Ya Lin, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Affiliated Hospital of Putian University, Putian 351100, Fujian Province, China
Cheng-Fei Zhao, School of Pharmacy and Medical Technology, Putian University, Putian 351100, Fujian Province, China
Cheng-Fei Zhao, Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Analysis and Laboratory Medicine in University of Fujian Province, Putian University, Putian 351100, Fujian Province, China
Wen-Biao Chen, Department of Basic Medicine, Quanzhou Medical College, Quanzhou 362011, Fujian Province, China
Qi-Cai Liu, Department of Reproductive Medicine Centre, First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, Fujian Province, China
Qu-Wen Li, Department of Priority Laboratory for Zoonoses Research, Fujian Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fuzhou 350001, Fujian Province, China
Feng Gao, Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, Fujian Province, China
Author contributions: Hu JX mainly wrote this paper; Zhao CF designed and wrote this paper; Gao F and Chen WB checked and proofread this paper; Liu QC, Li QW, and Lin YY searched the related literature and information for this paper; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by Fujian Province Medical Health Young and Middle-aged Talents Training Project, No. 2020GGA079; National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81572442; and Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province, No. 2018J01195.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors of this paper declare that there is no conflict of interest to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Cheng-Fei Zhao, MD, Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy and Medical Technology, Putian University, No. 1133 Xueyuan Road, Chengxiang District, Putian 351100, Fujian Province, China. zhaochengfei209@163.com
Received: February 8, 2021
Peer-review started: February 8, 2021
First decision: March 6, 2021
Revised: March 18, 2021
Accepted: June 15, 2021
Article in press: June 15, 2021
Published online: July 21, 2021
Processing time: 161 Days and 10.4 Hours
Abstract

Despite rapid advances in modern medical technology and significant improvements in survival rates of many cancers, pancreatic cancer is still a highly lethal gastrointestinal cancer with a low 5-year survival rate and difficulty in early detection. At present, the incidence and mortality of pancreatic cancer are increasing year by year worldwide, no matter in the United States, Europe, Japan, or China. Globally, the incidence of pancreatic cancer is projected to increase to 18.6 per 100000 in 2050, with the average annual growth of 1.1%, meaning that pancreatic cancer will pose a significant public health burden. Due to the special anatomical location of the pancreas, the development of pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed at a late stage with obvious clinical symptoms. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the risk factors for pancreatic cancer is of great clinical significance for effective prevention of pancreatic cancer. In this paper, the epidemiological characteristics, developmental trends, and risk factors of pancreatic cancer are reviewed and analyzed in detail.

Keywords: Pancreatic cancer; Epidemiology; Trend; Risk factors; Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Core Tip: Pancreatic cancer is still a highly lethal gastrointestinal cancer with a low 5-year survival rate and difficulty in early detection. A comprehensive understanding of the risk factors for pancreatic cancer is of great clinical significance for effective prevention of pancreatic cancer. In this review, the latest epidemiology, future trends, and various risk factors of pancreatic cancer are analyzed and summarized, which will provide more guidance and suggestions for the prevention and control of this malignancy.