Cases of pancreatic cancer to double by 2020

CASES of pancreatic cancer look set to double in Ireland by 2020, from fewer than 600 a year to 1,200, primarily because of the rise in the incidence of obesity, an expert claimed yesterday.

Dr Brian Bird, an oncologist who specialises in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, said that smoking and excess alcohol consumption also increased the likelihood of developing pancreatic cancer.

“The link between smoking and lung cancer is well established but it is not generally appreciated that smoking also increases the risk of pancreatic cancer. So in terms of things that we know increase the risk of pancreatic cancer: smoking, excess alcohol consumption and obesity. These may be some of the reasons why we are going to be looking at a doubling of pancreatic cancer cases in Ireland by 2020. I would primarily put that down to obesity.”