Pancreatic cancer is a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. Each year in the United States, about 42,470 individuals are diagnosed with this condition and 35,240 die from the disease. In Europe more than 60,000 are diagnosed each year.
Depending on the extent of the cancer at the time of diagnosis, the prognosis is generally regarded as poor; less than 5 percent of those diagnosed are still alive five years after diagnosis. Complete remission is still extremely rare.
About 95% of exocrine pancreatic cancers are adenocarcinomas. The remaining 5% include adenosquamous carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and giant cell carcinomas. Exocrine pancreatic cancers are far more common than endocrine pancreatic cancers (islet cell carcinomas), which make up about 1% of total cases.
