Background: The surveillance of subjects at risk of pancreatic cancer is restricted to clinical research; the incidence\nof familial pancreatic cancer needs to be better established. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of familial\npancreatic cancer in a population of hospitalized patients with pancreatic cancer.\nMethods: A retrospective study based on the hospital charts of patients discharged with a diagnosis of pancreatic\ncancer. One hundred and eighty-seven patients or their relatives were called for a phone interview.\nResults: There were 97 males (51.9 %) and 90 (48.1 %) females. The overall mean Ã?± SD age was 67.3 Ã?± 11.8 years;\nthe age of males was similar to that of females (P = 0140). The mean size of the tumors found was 36.3 Ã?± 17.4 mm\n(range of 5ââ?¬â??110 mm); it was related to gender but was not related to the site of the tumor or the age of the\npatient. Regarding genetic diseases, three females (1.6 %) had familial adenomatous polyposis; three patients\n(1 male and two females) (1.6 %) had at least one relative with pancreatic cancer whereas only one 80-year old\nmale patient (0.5 %) had two relatives affected by pancreatic cancer (the mother had died at the 65 years of age\nand the brother had died at 75 years of age).\nConclusions: The frequency of familial pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is small, but its importance, from the\npoint of view of early diagnosis, is not negligible and patients with a risk of familial cancer merit an appropriate\nclinical follow-up.
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