A breakthrough in the fight against pancreatic cancer was unveiled this week, after experts discovered a drug combination that may be able to defeat the disease.
The treatment, which involves three existing medications, was found to completely wipe out pancreatic tumours in lab mice.
The drugs work together to block the cancer’s ‘survival routes’ simultaneously, making it harder for tumours to grow – and resist treatment.
The news went viral, with posts on X detailing the Spanish researchers’ discovery racking up millions of views and thousands of comments. The results, scientists said, could pave the way for human clinical trials.
It came just days after Alan Rickman’s widow spoke out about the Harry Potter star’s final months before he died in 2016 from pancreatic cancer. Rickman, who was 69, survived just six months after his diagnosis.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of the disease, and just one in four patients live more than a year.
It is typically diagnosed at a late stage, when treatment is difficult, because it causes few symptoms early on.
It is a frightening disease – made all the more so by the fact that doctors don’t know what causes most cases. However, there are some factors that increase the risk…
A breakthrough in the fight against pancreatic cancer – the disease that killed actor Alan RIckman, pictured above, in 2016 – was unveiled this week, after experts discovered a drug combination that may be able to defeat the disease
Rickman’s widow spoke out about the Harry Potter star’s final months before he died in 2016 from pancreatic cancer. Rickman, who was 69, survived just six months after his diagnosis
Pancreatic cancer is rising in young people
Getting older is one of the biggest risk factors for pancreatic cancer.
Almost half of cases are diagnosed in over-75s – and it is rare in under-40s.
This is a common theme across many cancers. As Cancer Research UK explains: ‘Over time, the cells in our body become damaged. Cancer develops when damage in the same cell builds up.’
Despite this, pancreatic cancer incidence is rising more rapidly in younger age groups – particularly in women.
The increase appears to be driven by pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common and aggressive form of the disease.
Some experts suggest this may reflect better detection of smaller, earlier-stage tumours.
However, others point to rising rates of obesity, diabetes and smoking as potential drivers.
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Snus may increase pancreatic cancer risk
Around one in five pancreatic cancers are caused by smoking.
Cigarettes, cigars, pipes and chewing tobacco all raise the risk.
Whether snus – nicotine pouches that have become popular with young men in recent years – also increases the risk is still being researched.
A 2007 study involving Swedish construction workers, published in The Lancet, reported that snus users had roughly double the risk of pancreatic cancer compared to non-tobacco users.
Meanwhile, a 2005 Norwegian study found a 67 per cent increase in risk among current users.
Quitting is the best protection, all experts agree.
The risk of pancreatic cancer in people who stopped smoking 20 years ago is the same as in those who have never smoked.
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Being overweight increases pancreatic cancer risk
Roughly one in ten pancreatic cancers are caused by being overweight or obese, according to Cancer Research UK.
The pancreas is a pear-shaped gland, about the size of a hand, tucked deep behind the stomach.
Because of its location – and its relatively small size – doctors often can’t feel a pancreatic tumour during a routine physical exam, which is another reason the disease is so difficult to detect early.
The pancreas produces insulin, a hormone needed to move sugar from the blood into cells, where it can be burned as energy.
But when someone carries excess body fat – particularly around the abdomen – the body’s tissues can become resistant to insulin.
The pancreas responds by producing more, and there is evidence that pancreatic cells may increase in size as a result.
Scientists believe this process could help drive cancer development, although more research is needed to fully understand why.
Obesity also raises the risk of type 2 diabetes – and pancreatic cancer is more common in people with the condition.
Other obesity-linked problems, such as gallstones, are also tied to a higher risk. Gallstones are deposits of bile that form in the gallbladder and can cause severe pain.
Pancreatic cancer can run in families
In around five to ten per cent of cases, people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have a family history of it.
The risk is higher if you have one or more first-degree relatives with the disease – or if a close relative was diagnosed at a young age.
In some cases, this is linked to inherited faults in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which also increase the risk of breast, ovarian and prostate cancers.
Famously, actress Angelina Jolie underwent a preventative double mastectomy after testing positive for BRCA1 in 2013.
Her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died aged 56 from ovarian cancer.
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Faults in another gene, PALB2, have also been linked to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
Other conditions that raise pancreatic cancer risk
Pancreatic cancer is more common in people with Peutz–Jeghers syndrome, a rare inherited disorder that causes pigmentation around the mouth, hands and feet, as well as benign growths called hamartomatous polyps, mainly in the gut.
People with the syndrome are also more likely to develop cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, breast and ovaries.
Familial atypical multiple mole melanoma syndrome (FAMMM) also increases risk.
The inherited condition causes people to develop large numbers of moles (often more than 50) and raises the risk of melanoma skin cancer.
Lynch syndrome, a genetic condition best known for increasing the risk of bowel cancer, is also linked to pancreatic cancer.
However, Cancer Research UK points out: ‘Most cases of pancreatic cancer are sporadic, which means they don’t run in families.’
Could weight loss jabs increase risk?
Long-term inflammation of the pancreas – known as chronic pancreatitis – is a known risk factor for pancreatic cancer.
It is most often caused by sustained heavy drinking.
Research suggests the risk is higher in people who drink three or more units of alcohol a day compared to those who drink less.
Three units is roughly one pint of 5.2 per cent lager or one large glass of 12 per cent wine.
In rare cases, pancreatitis can also run in families.
However this week, the UK drugs watchdog the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued new guidance for patients on weight loss jabs, after confirming the injections can, in rare cases, cause pancreatitis.
Early studies into the drugs – collectively known as GLP-1 receptor agonists – also found they triggered changes in pancreatic cells in lab animals.
So far, no link has been found between the injections, such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, and pancreatic cancer – but research is ongoing.
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the least survivable forms of the disease and worryingly its on the rise. Source for data: Cancer Research UK
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Eating red meat may increase pancreatic cancer risk
There is some evidence that eating a lot of red and processed meat may raise the risk of pancreatic cancer.
Some studies suggest this link may be stronger in men – potentially because men, on average, consume larger quantities than women.
Research indicates that red meat (such as beef, pork and lamb) and processed meat (including bacon, sausages and hot dogs) may increase risk by around 12 to 38 per cent.
Experts believe the effect may be partly driven by the way meat is cooked. High-temperature methods such as grilling, barbecuing and pan-frying can produce potentially harmful chemicals – including heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – particularly when meat becomes charred.
Processed meats may also carry additional risks because they are cured, smoked or preserved, which can introduce other compounds linked to cancer risk.
However, the evidence is not definitive – and researchers stress more work is needed to understand how much of the risk is down to meat itself, cooking methods, portion size, and other lifestyle factors.
