Pancreatic cancer burden in North Sardinia, Italy

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer can arise in the exocrine or endocrine part of the gland, and represents a relevant modern health care issue because of its extremely high mortality and increasing incidence in most developed countries, which imposes a constant epidemiological surveillance. The aim of this study was to analyse and describe the epidemiology of pancreatic cancer in North Sardinia, Italy, in the period 1992-2010. Materials and methods: Data were obtained from the tumor registry of Sassari province that makes part of a wider registry web, coordinated today by the Italian Association for Tumor Registries (AIRTUM). Results: The overall number of pancreatic cancer cases registered was 1,388. The male-to-female ratio was approximately 1:1 and the mean age 69 years for males and 73 years for females. The standardized incidence rates were 13.7/100,000 and 9.4/100,000 and the standardized mortality rates 13.3/100,000 and 8.6/100,000 for males and females respectively. The relative 5-years survival was 6.9% for males and 6.2% for females. Discussion: Incidence rates of pancreatic cancer in North Sardinia were similar to those of other countries close to the equator, confirming an inverse variation with solar exposure, and thus, vitamin D levels. Furthermore, our data showed a substantially stable trend in incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer in both sexes in the last decades in the area. The relative survival rates were low, therefore efforts in all fields of research and clinical practice must be enhanced to improve outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer.