Key Statistics for Pancreatic Cancer
How common is pancreatic cancer?
The American Cancer Society’s estimates for pancreatic cancer in the United States for 2018 are:
- About 55,440 people (29,200 men and 26,240 women) will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
- About 44,330 people (23,020 men and 21,310 women) will die of pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers in the US and about 7% of all cancer deaths.
Lifetime risk of pancreatic cancer
The average lifetime risk of pancreatic cancer for men is about 1 in 63. For women, the lifetime risk is about 1 in 65. But each person’s chances of getting this cancer can be affected by certain risk factors.
For statistics related to survival, see Pancreatic Cancer Survival Rates by Stage.
Visit our Cancer Statistics Center for more key statistics.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and master's-prepared nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
American Cancer Society. Facts & Figures 2018. American Cancer Society. Atlanta, Ga. 2018.
Last Medical Review: March 14, 2016 Last Revised: January 4, 2018
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