Smoking and Drinking People who smoke or drink heavily may develop pancreatic cancer
At an earlier age than folks who avoid those habits, a new study suggests. It's long been known that smoking is a risk factor for developing pancreatic cancer - a disease that is rarely caught early and has a grim prognosis. Only about five of every 100 people diagnosed with the cancer are still alive five years later. The evidence on heavy drinking has been more mixed, but some studies have suggested it's also a risk factor. Now, the new results show the disease may strike smokers and drinkers earlier in life. "If you do have these habits, and you're going to develop pancreatic cancer, the age of presentation may be younger," said lead researcher Dr. Michelle A. Anderson, of the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. Her team also found that the effect disappeared for former smokers or drinkers if they had quit 10 years or more before being diagnosed. On average, the risk of developing pancreatic cancer in your lifetime is about one