Family history of cancer and tobacco exposure in index cases of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Aim. to examine interaction between history of cancer in first-degree relatives and tobacco smoking in index patients of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. methods. we carried out a case-control involving 113 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and 110 controls over a 12-month period at the freeman hospital,newcastle upon tyne,uk. they were all administered a detailed tobacco exposure questionnaire and a family history questionnaire. we calculated cumulative tobacco exposure and risk for pancreas cancer. results. both smokers (or 3.01 (95 ci: 1.73 to 5.24)) and those with a family history of malignancy (or 1.98 (95 ci: 1.15-3.38)) were more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. having more than one first-degree relative with cancer did not significantly further increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. amongst pancreatic cancer cases,cumulative tobacco exposure was significantly decreased (p =.032) in the group of smokers (current and ex-smokers) who had a family history of malignancy [mean (sd): 30.00 (24.77) pack-years versus 44.69 (28.47) pack-years with no such history]. conclusions. individuals with a family history of malignancy are at an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. furthermore,individuals with a family history of malignancy and who smoke appear to require a lesser degree of tobacco exposure for the development of pancreatic cancer. copyright © 2011 r. lochan et al.