Pancreatic Cancer – Genetic and Hereditary Risk Factors
Pancreatic cancer originates in the pancreatic tissues. The pancreas is an organ that is located in the abdomen, behind the lower part of the stomach. It is responsible for secreting enzymes that help with digestion, and it produces hormones that regulate blood sugar levels. Pancreatic cancer usually originates in the cells that line the pancreatic duct. In this article, we discuss the genetic and hereditary risk factors for pancreatic cancer: 1. Genetic risk factors All forms of cancer are genetic and pancreatic cancer is no exception. Every cell in the body has deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and each DNA molecule contains several genes. All cancer forms originate when the DNA changes or mutates, causing the cell to replicate abnormally until it gets out of control. However, it is not the same as hereditary cancer, which means that the risk of pancreatic cancer runs in the family. 2. Hereditary risk factors Inherited genes are passed on to the child from their parent and are responsible for up to 10 percent of pancreatic cancer cases. This means that one out of every 10 people with pancreatic cancer inherits a gene mutation from their family member, which increases their risk of developing the cancer.