Dirty habit puts millions at risk of hidden pancreatic cancer – doctors call for screening as cases soar
Smoking could dramatically increase your risk of developing one of the world’s deadliest cancers, research has revealed.
Pancreatic cancer — dubbed a ‘silent killer’ due to its subtle symptoms — kills just over 10,000 patients every year, about one death every hour.
And by 2040, cases are expected to hit record highs with 201,000 cases of pancreatic cancer expected to be diagnosed.
It is typically caught at late stages, as warning signs are easily mistaken for other problems.
But now US researchers say that GPs should be screening smokers more closely for pancreatic cancer development — in the hope of preempting symptoms.
Professor Timothy Frankel, a surgical oncologist and study lead author, said: ‘There’s a potential that we need to treat smokers who develop pancreatic cancer differently.
‘There is not a great screening mechanism, but people who smoke should be educated about symptoms to look out for and consider referrals to a high-risk clinic.’
In the study, published in the journal Cancer Discovery, researchers from the University of Michigan’s Rogel Cancer Centre identified a specific cell that responds to cancer causing toxins found in cigarettes.
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