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Risk of Pancreatic Cancer in Inflammatory Pancreatic Diseases

Korean Journal of Gastroenterology 2025 2 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Matthias Löhr, Miroslav Vujasinović, Patrick Maisonneuve

Summary

This review examines the relationship between inflammatory pancreatic conditions and pancreatic cancer risk, noting that hereditary and chronic pancreatitis carry the highest risk. The study identifies emerging risk factors beyond smoking, including obesity, diabetes, the gut microbiome, and notably microplastic exposure. The inclusion of microplastics as a novel risk factor highlights growing scientific interest in how environmental plastic pollution may influence cancer development.

Body Systems

All known inflammatory diseases of the pancreas, i.e., acute, chronic, hereditary, and autoimmune pancreatitis, carry a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The risk is highest in hereditary and chronic pancreatitis and lowest in acute and autoimmune pancreatitis. Although established risk factors such as smoking have been known for decades, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and pancreatic exocrine insufficiency have emerged. In addition, the microbiome/use of antibiotics and microplastic are novel risk factors for the development of pancreatic cancer that have not been explored.

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