Pancreatic Cancer 101: What You Need To Know

Causes

The exact causes of pancreatic cancer continue to keep scientists puzzled, but a few theories seem to hold a decent amount of weight. There is a strong link between a diagnosis and family history of pancreatic cancer, as well as specific gene mutations. Changes in the KRAS, BRAF, and DPC4 genes often occur, but there is still no specific reason behind these changes. Another option is there are inherited gene mutations, which means the changes are due to a change from a patient's parents. This increases the risk of developing cancer at a later time but does not necessarily guarantee it will happen.