The high prevalence of pancreatic cancer in Rio Grande do Sul compared to Brazil and its relationship with smoking

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is a malignant, fast-growing, and infiltrative neoplasm that affects this glandular organ mainly between the sixth and seventh decade of an individual’s life. In this study, the highet prevalence of this type of neoplasm in the state of Rio Grande do Sul was analyzed, seeking to find a possible cause for this finding. The results were obtained through database searches such as Global Burden of Disease (GBD Compare), Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) e Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde (PNS). Thus, there was a higher prevalence of pancreatic cancer in Rio Grande do Sul compared to others states in Brazil, as well as a higher prevalence of smoking in the same federative unit. It is therefore concluded that smoking, being an important risk factor for the development of the disease, is the main fator that promotes the highest rate found, and this is due to the fact that the state studied has a broad influence of the Tobacco industry, so that its consumption is early and in a greater proportion of the population. Therefore, in short, the higher percentagem of pancreatic cancer is evidente in locations with a higher incidente of smoking, an occurs in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Keywords: pancreatic cancer, smoking, risk factor.