Posted on November 15, 2001 at 11:00 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Ninety-nine percent of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year will die from the disease. On average, 29,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease each year and 28,900 die. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, but it is the most lethal form of cancer. The average life expectancy with pancreatic cancer that has spread beyond the pancreas is three to six months.

While there is no detection test for pancreatic cancer, there are certain factors that place some people at higher risk of developing the disease, according to Dr. Wasif Saif, an oncologist at UAB's Comprehensive Cancer Center and Alabama state captain for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PANcan). Risk factors include:

• Male gender
  
  
• History of chronic pancreatitis
  
  
• Type II diabetes
  
  
• Cigarette smoking
  
  
• High intake of fat, meat, or both
  
  
• More common in Hispanics and African Americans
  
  

Most patients with pancreatic cancer are not diagnosed until late in the disease. Some symptoms include pain, jaundice, weight loss or sudden onset of diabetes mellitus. November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. For more information, call 1-877-2-PANCAN or visit their website at www.pancan.org.