Healthy tissues and tumors produce different echoes that are recorded as a picture called a sonogram. The doctor then injects dye into the ducts and takes x-rays. Dye is injected into the bile ducts in the liver so blockages in the ducts can be seen on x-rays. Blood vessels may be noticeably displaced or distorted by a tumor. Risk Factors Risk factors are conditions that increase a person s chance of getting a type of cancer.
Risk factors vary depending on the type of cancer.
The risk of developing cancer of the pancreas increases after 50. At the time of diagnosis, most patients are between 60 and 80 years old. African Americans are more likely to develop cancer of the pancreas than are white Americans or Asian Americans. The impact of race is difficult to separate from certain lifestyle related risk factors such as diet. The pancreatic cancer risk of Africans and Asians is lower than that of African Americans and Asian Americans.