Pancreatic cancer in the Faroe Islands. An epidemiologic study of patients with pancreatic cancer in the Faroe Islands 1972-82.

An epidemiologic study of pancreatic cancer was performed in the Faroe Islands, which have 44,000 inhabitants. All the patients with this diagnosis in the period 1972-82 were reviewed. The material comprised 57 patients. The diagnosis was confirmed microscopically in 67%, by explorative laparatomy in 28%, and by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in 5% of the patients. The average annual age-standardized incidence per 100,000 inhabitants (world standard) was 10.7 among men and 7.9 among women. The incidence of pancreatic cancer on the Faroe Islands is at the same high level as in the other Scandinavian countries, suggesting that industrial pollution has no pathogenic role. Nor could diseases or environmental, occupational, or familial factors be identified in the development of pancreatic cancer. High intake of lipids, available carbohydrates, and alcohol can be a contributory cause of developing pancreatic cancer.