Most pancreatic cancers are adenocarcinomas arising from the pancreatic ductal system.
The disease is often far advanced by the time symptoms occur and the diagnosis is established. Rates for native Hawaiians are somewhat higher than the rates for whites, whereas rates for Hispanics and the Asian-American groups are generally lower. There were too few cases among Alaska Native and American Indian populations to calculate rates. Pancreatic cancer is rare in the 30-54 years age group. This difference diminishes somewhat among persons aged 70 years and older.