Periodontal Disease Linked to Pancreatic Cancer

Ivanhoe Newswire
Wednesday, January 17, 2007; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Here's a new reason you may not want to miss your dental cleanings. A new study reveals periodontal disease increases your risk for pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The only confirmed risk factor for this disease is cigarette smoking. Previous research has suggested a connection between periodontal disease and pancreatic cancer, but those studies did not control for smoking. Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston led a study to look at the association between periodontal disease and pancreatic cancer.

Investigators used data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. The study began in 1986 and includes more than 51,000 men working in health professions. The men answered questions about their health every two years.

Study authors report 216 cases of pancreatic cancer between 1986 and 2002. They found 67 of those patients reported also having periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is inflammation of the gums that overtime causes loss of bones that support the teeth.

After adjusting for other factors, researchers report men with periodontal disease had a 63-percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to men with no periodontal disease. They also found never-smokers with periodontal disease had a two-fold increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer.

So far, the researchers report they can only speculate why there is an increased risk for pancreatic cancer in men with periodontal disease. More studies are needed to better understand the role of periodontal disease in pancreatic cancer.

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SOURCE: Journal of National Cancer Institute, 2007;99:171-175