If you are obese, smoke and drink a lot, your chances of contracting pancreatic cancer are high.

Pancreatic cancer is formed in the pancreatic gland that produces hormones and chemical substances for digestion and also for regulating blood sugar. It affects the pancreas and is responsible for a large number of deaths each year. Most forms of pancreatic cancers develop in the exocrine cells that secrete the digestive hormones. In the country, it is the fourth most common form of death from cancer.

Causes of pancreatic cancer
While the exact cause for Pancreatic Cancer is yet to be clearly established, inherited and acquired gene mutations are widely believed to be the most common causes. The genes of the parents are passed on to their children, which increases the risks of occurrence of pancreatic cancer. These changes in genes are also responsible for bringing about an increased risk for other diseases too.

Anyone closest relatives either a mother, father, and siblings have had pancreatic cancer are also categorized as high risk. If a person has more than one person with pancreatic cancer in the family, the risk is higher. For instance, a person who is a non-smoker, yet has a first degree relative with pancreatic cancer in the family runs probably the same risk as a smoker. However, not all with inherited changes in genes are likely to contract pancreatic cancer. Acquired gene mutations are the result of consumption and exposure to pancreatic cancer-causing substances like those found in cigarettes.

Risk factors of pancreatic cancer
Smoking of tobacco and other products associated increase the chances for a person to contract pancreatic cancer. The risk is so high that in as much as 80 % of pancreatic cases, smoking has been found as one among the causes. This puts men at high-risk margins than women. Scientists have established that people who quit the habit of smoking at a very early age are unlikely to get pancreatic cancer. Avoiding cigarette smoking is the biggest preventable causes of pancreatic cancer.

Untreated and prolonged inflammation of pancreas also called chronic cases, will invariably lead to cancer of the pancreas. Though pancreatitis by itself is common, hereditary pancreatitis is not. It is marked by the development of repeated occurrence of inflammation that can start from a very young age.

Further, most cases of pancreatic cancer develop between the ages of 60 and 80. People suffering from sugar ailments, especially diabetes mellitus is a high-risk factor for them to contract pancreatic cancer. Obesity is another high-risk factor and as many as 10 % of people with pancreatic cancer have been found to be suffering from obesity.

Poor eating habits, leading to an imbalanced diet containing huge amounts of carbohydrates, cholesterol, red meat, and oily food are established as risk factors for pancreatic cancer. Consuming a balanced diet rich in vegetables and fruits help pancreatic cancer patients stay healthy.

There has been no conclusive study to prove that the consumption of alcohol as a direct risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Excessive consumption of alcohol can cause pancreatitis, which further can lead to the development of pancreatic cancer.