• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Longevity / Pancreatic Cancer (Advanced) / Why Are Cases of Pancreatic Cancer Rising in Young Women?

Why Are Cases of Pancreatic Cancer Rising in Young Women?

pancreatic cancer

Over the past two decades, a growing number of men and women have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which is sometimes referred to as a silent killer because it’s more difficult to detect in its early stages. Blacks are not only more likely to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, they are also more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage.

“We knew that there was a trend [of younger patients] in colon cancer, but we didn’t know about pancreas cancer. So, I decided to see if there was a real trend. Was it just that I happened to see those few young patients disproportionate to everybody else in the field,”  Dr. Srinivas Gaddam, who is an assistant professor of medicine in the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles says. “It turns out to be true.”

Even more surprisingly, they found the disease was disproportionately growing in younger women, those under age 55, and especially among those aged 15 to 34, though the sample size was small. Pancreatic cancer has typically been more common in men.

If the current trend continues, researchers said pancreatic cancer among women aged 15 to 34 would grow to be 400% of that experienced by men of the same ages by 2040.

You May Also Like
15 Natural Remedies for Aches and Pains

Without knowing why, the answer for now is left open to speculation. It could be that women have a disproportionately high exposure to some environmental risk factor in recent decades that researchers don’t understand yet, Gaddam says.

Pancreatic Cancer: Targeted Treatments Hold Promise

Risk factors

Although you can’t change risk factors such as age, gender, race, family history and inherited genetic syndromes, there are some risk factors that you can change to decrease your risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Risk factors that you can change:

You May Also Like
Bacon and other meats May Increase Your Risk for This Lung Disease
  • Tobacco use
  • Being overweight
  • Workplace exposure
  • Diet
  • Pyshical inactivity
  • Coffee
  • Alcohol

A deadly disease if not caught early

The difficulty in diagnosing pancreatic cancer is that there is no solid screening test to identify it early and patients don’t have symptoms until quite late in the disease, Gaddam says.

Despite tremendous advances in cancer detection and treatment for other types of cancer, the five-year survival rate of pancreatic cancer has improved from 3% to just 10% over the past several decades, Gaddam adds.

As mentioned above risk factors include family history, obesity or smoking, but they are not

Continue Reading

The Latest In Pancreatic Cancer (Advanced)

Aretha Franklin

Black History of Health: Aretha Franklin

Most of us know the Queen of Soul. During her long career, Franklin won 18 Grammys, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone magazine named read more about Black History of Health: Aretha Franklin
Advanced Prostate Cancer

Advanced Prostate Cancer: Food as Part of Your Treatment Plan

The right cancer treatment for you is a decision made between you and your care team. However, there are certain habits that you can incorporate in your everyday life to improve your overall wellness. Being mindful about your diet can read more about Advanced Prostate Cancer: Food as Part of Your Treatment Plan

Remembering Rapper Bushwick Bill: His Battle With Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer We Can Learn From

Rapper and a co-founder of the legendary Houston, Texas group Geto Boys, Bushwick Bill, died at the age of 52. He opened up about his health battle in May of 2019 about Stage IV pancreatic cancer but ultimately lost his read more about Remembering Rapper Bushwick Bill: His Battle With Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer We Can Learn From

Rapper Bushwick Bill Diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer

Rapper and a co-founder of the legendary Houston, Texas group Geto Boys, opened up about his health battle in an interview with TMZ on Tuesday, explaining that he’s been undergoing intensive chemotherapy to treat what is is now Stage IV read more about Rapper Bushwick Bill Diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer: Targeted Treatments Hold Promise

Why are African Americans more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than whites? According to the American Cancer Society, higher rates for other pancreatic cancer risk factors, such as diabetes, smoking in men and being overweight in women may all point read more about Pancreatic Cancer: Targeted Treatments Hold Promise

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • The McGhee Sextuplets: A Family Built On LoveThe McGhee Sextuplets: A Family Built On Love
  • Top 3 Mistakes Cooking Salmon (You Should Never Make Again)Top 3 Mistakes Cooking Salmon (You Should Never Make Again)
  • Black Don’t Crack: Mother Of 3 Photo Goes ViralBlack Don't Crack: Mother Of 3 Photo Goes Viral
  • Aleisha Allen: From Actress to Speech PathologistAleisha Allen: From Actress to Speech Pathologist
  • David And Tamela Mann On 34 Years Of Marriage: “I’ve Found A Good Thing”David And Tamela Mann On 34 Years Of Marriage: "I've Found A Good Thing"

Podcast

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2022, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.