• A study reported in the October 28, 2010 issue of the journal Nature suggests that it takes about 20 years for a pancreatic cancer cell to develop into something that eventually kills a person.
  • For the study, Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue, M.D., Ph.D. at Hopkins' Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center and colleagues analysed genetic mutations in tissue samples collected from  pancreatic cancer patients who died from the disease.
  • Based on sophisticated mathematical models, the researchers determined the timing of the carcinogenesis and found it takes an average of 11.7 years for the first cancer cell to develop within a high grade pancreatic lesion, and then another 6.8 years for the cancer to grow and for at least another cancer cell to potentially spread and finally an average of 2.7 years for the disease to kill a patient.
  • These findings mean that pancreatic cancer, a malignancy that kills 95 percent of patients within five years of diagnosis, may be stopped at a certain point in time if certain preventative measures are taken early.
  • Many risk factors have been identified even though they are not widely publicized.
  • For example, consuming too much sugar-laced soft drinks as a risk factor may boost pancreatic cancer risk, a study published in the Cancer Epidemiology, Bio-markers and Prevention suggests.
  • The study led by Dr. Mark A. Pereira and colleagues from School of Public Health University of Minnesota  shows people using 2 or more soft drinks per week were at 87 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer, compared with those who did not consume soft drinks, after adjustment for potential confounders.
  • For the prospective cohort study, the researchers interviewed 60,524 participants in the Singapore Chinese Health Study at baseline to collect information on consumption of soft drinks, fruit juices, and other dietary items, lifestyle, and environmental exposure.  
  • During the 14-year follow-up, 140 pancreatic cancer cases were identified.
  • In addition to the positive association between consumption of soft drinks and pancreatic cancer risk, Pereira et al. also found there was no statistically significant correlation between juice consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer.
  • The researchers concluded "Regular consumption of soft drinks may play an independent role in the development of pancreatic cancer."
  • Intake of sugar or a diet with a high glycemic index has been known to boost production of insulin-like growth factor -I, which promotes cell growth and inhibits apoptosis or programmed cell death, a combination of cell activities commonly seen in cancers.
  • Of course, soft drinks are not the only foods that are correlated with pancreatic cancer.
  • In addition to sugar, meat, dairy products like milk and cheese which are high in protein are also associated with elevated levels of serum IGF-I.
  • By David Liu
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