In a statement, the director of the Digestive Cancer Unit at the Champalimaud Foundation explained that pancreatic cancer has been increasing by about 1% per year in the general population, but among adults aged 40 to 55, the annual growth ranges from 4% to 7%.
“It seems like a small number, but it is a significant figure. According to some predictions, it could become the second leading cause of cancer death in industrialized countries within about 10 years,” he said during the 2nd International Conference on Pancreatic Cancer held at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, which runs until Saturday.
While factors like smoking, alcohol, and diabetes are known, the doctor highlighted obesity as the most significant variable.
“Of all these factors, what varies most clearly is obesity. We cannot say the exact reason because the studies that would identify the mechanisms of this increased risk are difficult and require many years. But (…) the change has been obesity. Whether it is the determining factor or not, we cannot be sure, but it must be considered,” he emphasized.
According to Carlos Carvalho, despite high mortality rates, advances in pancreatic cancer research and treatment now allow cures in early cases. He noted that the Champalimaud Foundation has intensified efforts to combat one of the most resistant and aggressive tumors.
“Pancreatic cancer is among the most challenging tumors in several aspects. Often, it is diagnosed already at an advanced stage with metastases. Unfortunately, surgery is rarely possible.
Even in early cases, rapid progression and resistance to conventional treatments make the prognosis challenging.
“We do not yet have the results we would like, but worldwide, some potentially very useful drugs are beginning to emerge. (…) Advances exist, and today it is possible for a patient diagnosed with an early-stage pancreatic tumor who can undergo chemotherapy and surgery to have expectations that one-third or half of these patients could be cured,” he stressed.
Carlos Carvalho noted that the number of patients treated more effectively “is increasingly larger.”
The oncologist emphasized the importance of evolving pancreatic cancer treatments, while reminding that changing behaviors associated with risk factors like obesity, smoking, and alcohol remains a challenge.
“This change is desirable. It’s very important to discuss, but it’s difficult because it doesn’t solely depend on will. It depends on investment, on changing habits, which is not easy to achieve,” he noted.
The specialist also lamented the lack of effective screening for pancreatic cancer, considering that current methods are neither cost-effective nor sufficiently precise for population screening.
Believing that significant changes may arise in coming years, Carlos Carvalho said that hope lies in molecular genetics.
“These changes concern the possibility of detecting tumor DNA fragments in the blood, allowing for earlier diagnosis, especially in populations or groups where the risk is higher,” such as direct relatives or carriers of known genetic alterations, he observed.
