Smoking and Pancreatic Cancer: Smoking Patterns, Tobacco Type, and Dose-Response Relationship

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the primary cause of cancer death in the United States and Europe. Despite remarkable advances in the molecular understanding of PC and advances in new therapeutic approaches, PC remains a disease with a poor prognosis. Although evidence indicates that long-term smoking is a major cause of PC, the molecular pathways behind smoking-induced PC pathogenesis are not fully understood. Smoking cessation can significantly reduce the occurrence of PC. This review explores the processes underpinning the influence of smoking-related chemicals on fibrosis and inflammation and provides insight into the etiology of PC. In the future, a thorough exploration of the effects of smoking chemicals on the activity of pancreatic stem cells and then on the essential mediators of the association with cancer cells would likely yield new diagnostic targets.

Keywords: cigarette and other tobacco products act; cigarette smoking; pancreatic cancer; quitting smoking; smoking and cancer; smoking and pancreatic cancer; smoking cessation; smoking patterns and pancreatic cancer; smoking tobacco; tobacco and pancreas.

Figure 1. Molecular pathogenesis of PC

PC: pancreatic carcinoma; NNK: nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone; PDGF: platelet-derived growth factor; TGF-Beta: tissue growth factor-beta; MMPs: matrix metalloproteinases Image credits: Muhammad Subhan