ArticleBMC gastroenterology2026
Association between a combined lifestyle exposure index and age at pancreatic cancer diagnosis: a hospital-based retrospective study.
Article in BMC gastroenterology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPancreatic cancer is a highly lethal malignancy, and its incidence is increasing among younger individuals. Although smoking, alcohol use, and unhealthy diet are established risk factors, the cumulative impact of multiple lifestyle exposures on age at diagnosis remains unclear. This study aimed to estimate the combined burden of lifestyle and environmental risks associated with the timing of pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
methodsWe conducted a hospital-based retrospective case-only study including 134 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 2020 and 2025. Data on family history of pancreatic cancer, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary patterns, exercise, and occupational chemical exposure were collected through structured interviews and medical record reviews. Cox proportional hazards models using age at diagnosis as the time scale were used to evaluate associations between exposures and earlier diagnosis. Lifestyle factors were integrated into a cumulative exposure index and analyzed using Cox models with adjustment for the remaining covariates.
resultsThe mean age at diagnosis was 64.8 years. A significant difference in age at diagnosis was observed across smoking categories, with current smokers having the youngest mean age, whereas no significant difference was observed across alcohol consumption categories. Patients with triple exposure had the youngest mean age at diagnosis (55.5 years), followed by those with double (63.5 years), single (64.8 years), and no (69.0 years) exposures. Compared with no exposure, single, double, and triple exposures were associated with progressively higher hazards of earlier diagnosis (HR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.14-2.81, p = 0.011; HR = 2.97, 95% CI: 1.67-5.28, p < 0.001; and HR = 6.66, 95% CI: 3.35-13.22, p < 0.001, respectively).
conclusionsOur findings indicate a significant association between a higher combined exposure index and earlier age at pancreatic cancer diagnosis. This exposure-response gradient suggests that a greater accumulation of adverse lifestyle exposures corresponds to earlier age at diagnosis among affected patients.
trial registrationNot applicable.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.