This is the one that started everything for me. My grandmother died from pancreatic cancer, and for a long time I thought of it as just terrible luck. The more I’ve learned, the more I see it as a public health story too.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, and a big reason is timing. There’s no routine screening for it, and it usually doesn’t cause obvious symptoms until it’s already advanced. Over 80% of cases are found late, and the 5-year survival rate is only around 13%. By the time you know, you’re already in the hardest fight.
The American Cancer Society lists the main risk factors, and this is the part that really got me. Smoking roughly doubles the risk and is behind about 25% of cases. Obesity raises the risk by around 20%. And diabetes is linked to it too. My grandmother dealt with all three. She smoked, and she also lived with obesity and diabetes. Seeing how those stacked up is a huge part of why I think about prevention constantly.
I want to be clear: I’m not blaming her. Addiction is real, and obesity and diabetes are genuinely hard to fight. If anything, it makes me want to focus on the systems and habits that come way before a diagnosis, so fewer families end up where mine did.
(This post deals with cancer and losing my grandmother, which are heavy things to write about.)
Bottom line: Pancreatic cancer is brutal partly because we catch it late, which is exactly why prevention matters so much.
Read more: Pancreatic cancer risk factors — American Cancer Society
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