Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Among Young Populations. Is It Increasing?

Abstract

Introduction: Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma (PAC) is considered one of the most lethal cancers. PAC affects the head in 60% of cases, more in males, and higher incidence in developed countries. This study aims to study PAC incidence among young adults in the United States. Methods: The overall incidence of PAC and incidence trend among population younger than 40 years, over the period between 2000 - 2014 were analyzed. Then, the overall five-year survival rates were calculated. This paper utilized the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results 'SEER' database of the National Cancer Institute 'NCI'. Results: Among 667 patients with PAC that were selected based on our selection criteria, it was found that PAC incidence among young individuals was 1.016 (95% CI, 0.940-1.096) per 1,000,000 person-years. Incidence was stable in our sample over the duration of the study. Higher rates were found among males (1.240 [95% CI, 1.122-1.366]) and blacks (1.226 [95% CI, 0.999-1.490]). The five-year relative survival of young patients with PAC was 6.8%. Conclusions: Although previous studies have shown that the overall PAC incidence has been increasing, our study has not shown a significant change in PAC incidence among young population. Further studies are needed to understand the changing trends in the incidence as well as the disparity between subpopulations. Funding: No financial support was received. Declaration of Interest: No conflict of interest to disclose.