November 16 is celebrated as the World Pancreatic Cancer Day and Professor Alessandro Zerbi, Head of Pancreatic Surgery in Humanitas, spoke about pancreatic cancer during a live Facebook stream.
“In the collective imagination the word pancreatic tumor is considered synonymous with pancreatic cancer, but in reality it is not so because pancreatic cancers are different; the most frequent is pancreatic carcinoma (the so-called pancreatic cancer), the most widespread and particularly aggressive, but there are also other types of cancer – a little rarer but not so exceptional – such as endocrine and cystic cancers, which instead behave in a very different way from pancreatic cancer”.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death in Western countries and by 2030 it is estimated that it will become the second leading cause of cancer death. Lifestyle is also likely to play a role: “Pancreatic cancer is a cancer typical of Western countries where cigarette smoke is, for example, closely related to its onset, as well as a diet rich in animal fats and exposure to industrial carcinogens, even if the precise substance has not yet been identified”.
Genetic component
The genetic component is also influential and Humanitas has an active study related to family history, as Professor Zerbi explains: “It is now known that 10% of cases of pancreatic cancer recognize a family predisposition: there is no pancreatic cancer gene, but there is a sort of predisposition, so that those who have several affected family members are considered at risk and should enter screening programs (offered by Humanitas and other centers in Italy). These enable us to achieve early diagnosis in people who we know are more likely to develop the disease than others.
Having only one family member who has had cancer of the pancreas does not expose to an increased risk, those who have either two family members (one of which is a first degree family member, such as mother, sister) or people with three family members with a second or third degree relation (of uncles, a grandfather) are at risk,” says Professor Zerbi.
Many topics were addressed
Prof. Zerbi answered several questions from listeners and addressed issues such as symptoms, sudden diabetes as a warning sign, the link between cancer and pancreatic function, pancreatic surgery and progress in the post-operative course; he then stressed the importance of the multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of pancreatic diseases and the role of research.
Watch the live stream with Professor Zerbi:
