News:The The Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 for pancreatic cancer has been published in The Lancet.
Facts:
Key takeaways from the study:
- The Pancreatic cancer what was once a rare disease, is now a growing cause of cancer mortality worldwide.From 1.96 lakh incidences in 1990, these rose to 4.41 lakh in 2017.
- The burden of pancreatic cancer is higher in higher income countries when compared to low income countries.
- The reason for low death rates in low-income countries is shorter life-expectancy and poor access to diagnostic facilities.As lifespan increases, so does the risk of pancreatic cancer.
- For India, the death rate due to pancreatic has increased by over five times.India has the highest numbers among South Asian nations and makes up for more than 50% of the cases.
- Pakistan comes second in the South Asian region while Bhutan had the least incidents and deaths in the region
Additional information:
About Pancreas:
- The pancreas is an organ located behind the stomach in the upper left abdomen.
- It has two main functions (a)an exocrine function that helps in digestion and (b)endocrine function that regulates blood sugar.
- Pancreatic cancer refers to tumors that start in the cells of the pancreas.
- The cancer develops when cells grow in an uncontrolled manner and form masses or tumors in the pancreas instead of growing into healthy pancreatic tissue.
