The pancreas is an organ located in the upper middle of the abdomen. It is surrounded by the stomach, small intestine, liver and spleen. Pancreatic cancer occurs when there is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the pancreas or ducts. The exact cause of pancreatic cancer are still largely unknown, but certain factors are known as risk factors. The following factors are known to increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer; age, gender, race, cigarette smoking, diet, diabetes, environment and family history.

Pancreatic cancer has been understudied in both basic research laboratories and the clinic. In terms of total research dollars, total numbers of researchers, and numbers of researchers who are highly focused on this disease, pancreatic cancer lags significantly behind.