Pancreatic cancer is the ninth most commonly occurring cancer, but the fifth leading cause of cancer death in the US. It is one of the most rapidly fatal cancers, with 1- and 5-year survival of only 16 percent and 0.4 percent. As there are currently no effective treatments for this disease, prevention is of paramount importance. Only older age and cigarette smoking are well- established risk factors. The roles of other risk factors, such as pipe and cigar smoking, coffee, tea and alcohol consumption, the presence of diabetes mellitus, and physical activity are unclear. To provide more information, we propose to analyze the associations of these characteristics with pancreatic cancer risk using previously collected data. In 1962 or 1966 (1962/1966), 29,347 men and women, who were free of cancer and aged 30-79 years, returned a health questionnaire. Subjects also returned another health questionnaire in 1977. They provided a wide range of information on these two questionnaires, including data on cigarette, pipe and cigar smoking, coffee, tea and alcohol consumption, physician-diagnosed diabetes mellitus, and physical activity. Between 1962/1966 through 1993, 210 subjects died from pancreatic cancer. We request funds to collect another two years of mortality data through 1995 (given the costs constraints of the small grants program), bringing the total of pancreatic cancer deaths to an estimated 230. Power calculations show adequate power to detect moderate increases in relative risks (1.5-2.5) associated with these risk factors. This large database provides a unique and cost-effective opportunity to examine the associations of various characteristics, most of which are modifiable, with pancreatic cancer risk. Findings from these analyses will have public health significance for a highly fatal disease.
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