Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a serious disease caused by abnormal cells in the pancreas that divide and grow out of control, forming a tumor.

The pancreas is located deep in the abdomen, behind the stomach and in front of the spine. It has 2 main functions, to produce digestive juices for the small intestine to digest and absorb food and to produce hormones such as insulin to assist cells to absorb nutrients and regulate blood glucose levels. Pancreatic cancer occurs when pancreas cells develop abnormal DNA mutations that make them grow and divide out of control, forming a tumor. Sometimes this tumor spreads to other organs such as the liver, abdominal wall, lymph nodes, lungs, or bones. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

Conditions that increase risk of pancreatic cancer include smoking, chronic pancreatitis, obesity, long-standing diabetes, a strong family history of pancreatic cancer, and diets high in red and processed meats. Research is ongoing into ways to prevent pancreatic cancer. People who have any of these risk factors, especially a family history of pancreatic cancer, should consider participating in research studies or high-risk screening programs and should focus on lifestyle habits such as not smoking and staying active.

胰腺腺癌是一种严重的疾病，由胰腺异常细胞分裂和生长失控，形成肿瘤而引起。

胰腺位于腹部深处，在胃的后面，在脊柱的前面。它具有两个主要功能，为小肠生产消化液以消化和吸收食物，并产生诸如胰岛素的激素，以协助细胞吸收营养并调节血糖水平。胰腺癌发生在胰腺细胞发生异常的DNA突变，使它们生长并失控而形成肿瘤时。有时，该肿瘤扩散到其他器官，例如肝脏，腹壁，淋巴结，肺或骨骼。胰腺癌是美国癌症死亡的第四大主要原因。

增加胰腺癌风险的条件包括吸烟，慢性胰腺炎，肥胖，长期糖尿病，胰腺癌家族史悠久以及饮食中含有大量红色和加工肉。预防胰腺癌的方法正在进行研究。有任何这些危险因素的人，尤其是胰腺癌家族史的人，应考虑参加研究或高风险筛查计划，并应将注意力集中在不吸烟和保持活跃等生活方式上。