Pancreatic cancer and medical history in a population-based case-control study in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the association between pancreatic cancer and medical conditions.


METHODS
A large population-based case-control study identified pancreatic cancer cases in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1995 and 1999. A total of 1,701 controls were randomly selected from the same population and were frequency-matched to 532 cases by sex and age. In-person interviews were conducted with no proxy interviews.


RESULTS
Prior history of gallbladder disease was associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.2-2.2), with the highest risk occurring for gallbladder disease not caused by cholelithiasis (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1-3.7). Risk was associated with cholelithiasis only for participants diagnosed within the year before their pancreatic cancer (OR = 15, 95% CI = 6.2-34), and for those with cholelithiasis and cholecystectomy within the same time frame (OR = 28, 95% CI = 8.2-96). Gastric and/or duodenal ulcers were associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer for individuals with ulcers of <or=two years duration (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.1-4.6). Hyperthyroidism (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.0-4.2) and "other" thyroid conditions (OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.1-4.2) were associated with increased risk. Participants with at least one first-degree relative with pancreatic cancer had an increased risk (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1-2.5).


CONCLUSIONS
History of recent gallbladder conditions, gastric and/or duodenal ulcers may represent an early manifestation of pancreatic cancer rather than an independent risk factor. These results warrant further investigation in pooled analyses.
Ko
Andrew H
AH
Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Wang
Furong
F
Holly
Elizabeth A
EA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012495:San Francisco; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors