A new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) found that those with a history of familial pancreatic cancer have an increased risk of developing the disease, especially if a family member was diagnosed before age 50.

Familial pancreatic cancer is when two or more first-degree relatives, such as parents, siblings or children, develop the cancer.

According to an article published by Reuters Tuesday, individuals in familial pancreatic cancer families who've had a family member diagnosed before age 50, have their risk of developing the disease increase nine-fold, compared to familial pancreatic cancer families whose members are diagnosed after age 50.

A researcher from Johns Hopkins said in the article that "there's no well-established screening program (for pancreatic cancer)." However, her team of researchers is looking into the effectiveness of using endoscopic ultrasound as a possible method.

To learn more about the cancer mentioned in this post, please visit our pancreatic cancer information page.