Gordon-Dseagu VL, et al. - This population-based study was performed to evaluate temporal trends and pancreatic cancer rates on the basis of demographics and histologic type. The researchers found an overall increase in pancreatic cancer but patterns differed by demographic group and histologic type. Many of the trends paralleled changing the prevalence of lifestyle risk factors like smoking, overweight and obesity, and diabetes in the USA, especially for pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and improved diagnosis methods during the past 40 years.

Methods

• Between 1974 to 2013, the researchers gathered data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registries to assess temporal trends and pancreatic cancer rates.

Results

• Among White males, pancreatic cancer incidence rates declined between the 1970s and 1990s but increased from 1994 to 2013.
• The annual percent change (APC) in incidence between 1992 and 2013 was 0.84% and 0.73%, respectively, among non-Hispanic White and Hispanic males.
• Elevated rates were found among White non-Hispanic, Hispanic and Asian females (APC = 0.81%, 0.56%, and 1.23%, respectively) and even more rapidly among females aged 25–34 years (APC > 2.5%).
• Rates remained unchanged among Black males and females, but were higher compared with the other racial/ethnic groups.
• Greatest increases were reported for non-secretory endocrine cancers ( > 6%), followed by ductal adenocarcinomas (~5%) and adenocarcinoma, NOS (~1.4%)-the largest histologic subgroup of pancreatic cancer, on the basis of histologic type.
• Rates were decreased for mucinous adenocarcinomas and poorly specified pancreatic cancer.
• During 2000-13, incidence rates were higher among males than females [MF incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.28].
• At all ages ≥ 35, the IRR was >1.00, but rates among females were higher at younger ages (IRRs 15–24: 0.66, 25–34: 0.81).
• Among males, the MF IRRs for most of the histologic types were elevated apart from solid pseudopapillary adenocarcinoma and cystic carcinomas (IRR = 0.22, confidence interval: 0.14–0.34 and 0.52, 0.41–0.65, respectively).