ABSTRACT
Pancreatic cancer represents a major public health problem and accounts for around 5 per cent of all cancer deaths.
The incidence of cancer of the pancreas in the UK has been unchanged over the last 15 years, with around 7000 new cases per year diagnosed. The age-standardized incidence of pancreatic cancer is 10.2 cases per 100 000 in men and 7.7 per 100 000 in women, suggesting a slight male predominance (National Statistics Online Series MB1 No. 33 and 25).
