Scientists at Boston Medical Center have made a surprising discovery that may help doctors find pancreatic cancer earlier.
They found a strong link between gallstones and a type of pancreatic cancer called pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, or PDAC. This is the most common and deadly type of pancreatic cancer, responsible for over 90% of cases.
Pancreatic cancer is usually hard to detect in its early stages. Symptoms often appear only after the cancer has spread, making it very difficult to treat. Because of this, the survival rate is extremely low. Finding ways to detect it earlier could help save lives.
Gallstones are small, hard pieces that can form in the gallbladder. This small organ sits under the liver and holds bile, a fluid that helps digest fat. Gallstones form when the bile becomes unbalanced. Many people have gallstones but never feel any symptoms. When symptoms do happen, they can include belly pain, nausea, or problems with digestion.
In their study, researchers looked at the medical records of over 18,000 people with PDAC and compared them with nearly 100,000 people who did not have cancer.
They found that in the year before being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, about 4.7% of patients had gallstone disease. About 1.6% had their gallbladders removed. In comparison, only 0.8% of people without cancer had gallstones, and just 0.3% had surgery to remove the gallbladder.
This means that people who later developed pancreatic cancer were six times more likely to have had gallstone problems during the year before their diagnosis. The researchers do not believe that gallstones cause pancreatic cancer. Instead, they think gallstones could be an early warning sign that something is wrong in the body.
Even though gallstones are very common—especially in people over 40, women, and those who are overweight—this new connection could help doctors know when to look more closely for pancreatic cancer. The earlier the cancer is found, the better the chances are for treating it.
The researchers now want to find out why this link exists. They will look at medical scans and lab tests to see if there are other signs that help predict which people with gallstones might also have early pancreatic cancer.
This research gives doctors a new idea for catching pancreatic cancer sooner. It also shows how common health issues like gallstones might offer clues about more serious problems. If this link is confirmed with more studies, it could lead to better screening and early diagnosis, giving patients a better chance at survival.
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