Serious Causes And Risk Factors Of Pancreatic Cancer

Cirrhosis Of The Liver

An individual is at a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer when they are affected by cirrhosis of the liver. Liver cirrhosis is an advanced stage of fibrosis or liver scarring that has several different causes. Chronic forms of hepatitis, chronic alcoholism, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and autoimmune hepatitis are the most common causes of liver cirrhosis. Fibrosis of the liver occurs when some underlying mechanism results in damage to liver tissues, and the body attempts to repair this damage with tissue that is denser and less versatile than the original tissues. When this process is repeated over time, the scarring in the liver accumulates and interferes with its function. The liver is responsible for filtering certain toxins from the blood and metabolizing them so they do not accumulate in and damage organs around the body. Some toxins are excreted from the body, where others are processed and recycled. Pancreatic cancer is more likely to occur in a patient who has a compromised liver because the build-up of toxins in the pancreas can cause cellular DNA damage. In addition, cancer caused by cirrhosis precipitated increased cell turnover rate is more likely to spread to the pancreas from the liver because they share a common duct.

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