• Genes and health
• Conditions we cover
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Complete scan
• Cancer scan
• Cardio scan
• Advanced features

The best chance of long term cure from pancreatic cancer is through early diagnosis.

deCODEme analyzes your DNA and provides you with a personalized interpretation of your genetic risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis. Knowing your genetic risk can raise your awareness of this rare and deadly cancer.

The pancreas makes insulin and other digestive hormones and enzymes

The pancreas is a gland located deep in the abdomen, behind the stomach and in front of the spine. It is surrounded by other digestive organs such as the liver, duodenum, and gallbladder. The wider end of the pancreas is called the head, the middle section is the body, and the narrow end is called the tail.

The pancreas gland produces insulin and other important enzymes and hormones that affect the digestive system. On the one hand it secretes digestive enzymes that are carried through a duct to the duodenum, where they help break down food. This represents the exocrine function of the pancreas. On the other hand, pancreatic islet cells secrete glucagon and insulin directly into the blood, which help control blood sugar levels. This represents the endocrine function of the pancreas. Insulin reduces the amount of sugar in the blood, while glucagon increases it. Diabetes results from a defect in insulin production.

Most pancreatic cancers are of the non-endocrine type

There are several different types of pancreatic cancer, which are classified into two main groups, according to whether the type of cells from which they originate belong to the endocrine or non-endocrine functioning of the pancreas. The vast majority of pancreatic cancers diagnosed (about 95%) are of the non-endocrine (exocrine) type, meaning that they originate in cells lining the pancreatic enzyme ducts. Endocrine pancreatic cancers, which originate in the hormone-producing endocrine cells of the pancreas, are much rarer, accounting for less than 5% of all pancreatic tumors. It is very important that endocrine tumors be distinguished from those that are non-endocrine, because treatment for the two is very different.

Please note that the deCODEme genetic risk assessment pertains only to the genetic variants that are associated with the more common non-endocrine form of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer often has vague symptoms and is hard to catch early

There are usually no immediate or obvious symptoms of pancreatic cancer. When symptoms do arise, they are often vague and unspecific, and may therefore go unnoticed. These symptoms can include jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), pain in the abdomen and back, weight loss and fatigue. Also, because the pancreas is hidden behind other digestive organs, pancreatic tumors cannot easily be seen or felt during routine medical exams. As a result, pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at a late and advanced stage, and usually has a grim prognosis. In general, only 5% of people survive five years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, making it one of the deadliest of all cancers. This is reflected in the fact that while people’s overall risk of pancreatic cancer is low (lifetime risk 1.4%), it is the fourth-leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. in both men and women.

Genetic factors contribute significantly to the development of pancreatic cancer

In very rare cases, pancreatic cancer is caused by mutations in certain genes, such as BRCA2 (the familal breast cancer gene) and the CDKN2A (also known as p16, a tumor suppressor gene). Individuals with rare inherited conditions such as Hereditary Non-polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC), familial pancreatitis, and Peutz-Jeghers syndrome also have an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. However, this group represents only a small proportion of all those at risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Recently, researchers have identified four more common genetic variants associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer; which are located on chromosomes 1q32.1, 5p15.33, 9q34 and 13q22.1. The variant on chromosome 9 is located within the ABO gene that determines peoples’ ABO blood group.

deCODEme calculates your risk for non-endocrine pancreatic cancer

The deCODEme Complete Scan identifies the four common genetic variants mentioned above and uses them to provide customers of European descent with a personalized interpretation of their genetic risk for developing pancreatic cancer.

At present, the necessary scientific information to interpret the genetic risk for individuals of other ethnicities for these variants is not available. This information will be added as soon as it becomes available and we are assured of its quality.

Please note that the deCODEme genetic scan does not identify the rare genetic mutations in the BRCA2, CDKN2A (p16) or HNPCC genes or those underlying the rare familial conditions mentioned above.

More information about pancreatic cancer

For more information about pancreatic cancer we recommend talking to your doctor and visiting the following websites:

• About Pancreatic Cancer from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
• About Pancreatic Cancer from the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins
• ABO Bloodtypes and Pancreatic Cancer from Harvard Science
• The American Cancer Society on Pancreatic Cancer
• The National Cancer Institute on Pancreatic Cancer
• The National Cancer Research Foundation on Pancreatic Cancer
• The National Pancreas Foundation on Pancreatic Cancer
• What is Pancreatic Cancer? From the American Cancer Society

This content was last reviewed on February 18, 2010.

The conditions we cover: ABO Blood Types, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Age Related Macular Degeneration, Alcohol Flush Reaction, Alzheimer’s Disease, Asthma, Atrial Fibrillation, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Bitter Taste Perception, Bladder Cancer, Brain Aneurysm, Brain Cancer-Glioma, Breast Cancer, Celiac Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Colorectal Cancer, Crohn’s Disease, Essential Tremor, Exfoliation Glaucoma, Eye Color, Gallstones, Gout, Heart Attack, Hemochromatosis, Hypertension, Kidney Stones, Lactose Intolerance, Lung Cancer, Male Pattern Baldness, Multiple Sclerosis, Nicotine Dependence, Obesity, Ovarian Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Peripheral Arterial Disease, Prostate Cancer, Psoriasis, Restless Legs Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Statin Induced Myopathy, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Testicular Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, Ulcerative Colitis, Venous Thromboembolism, Warfarin Metabolism.