Some studies and anecdotal reports have shown that pancreatitis may cause an individual to develop, or be at a higher risk to develop pancreatic cancer.  Pancreatitis is defined as inflammation in the pancreas.  The pancreas produces enzymes that help with digestion as well as produce hormones that regulate the way your body processes sugar.  Pancreatitis can appear suddenly and last for a few days, or can inflict an individual for years, this type is called chronic pancreatitis.

While the human body may be able to fight some, mild cases of pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis may cause serious and often times life threatening complications.  There is limited information on this subject, and more research needs to be done to determine the magnitude of the relationship between these two diseases.  A multicenter historical cohort study was done by author Albert B. Lowenfels, from the New England Journal of Medicine, titled “Pancreatitis and the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer”, to further explore the relationship between pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.  2,015 patients with chronic pancreatitis were used for this study.  Information was obtained from clinical centers in six countries.  From the 2,015 subjects used in this study, 56 cancers were identified, there was a mean follow of 7.4 years.  The number of cases of cancer calculated from country specific incidence data was 2.13, which yielded a standardized incidence ratio of 26.3.  Data was adjusted for age and sex.

Author Albert B. Lowenfels states “For subjects with a minimum of two or five years of follow-up, the respective standardized incidence ratios were 16.5 (95 percent confidence interval, 11.1 to 23.7) and 14.4 (95 percent confidence interval, 8.5 to 22.8).”  Cumulative risk of pancreatic cancer in subjects who were followed for at least 2 years showed a steady increase in pancreatic cancer.  10 and 20 years after being diagnosed of pancreatitis, patients showed 1.8 percent chance of developing pancreatic cancer.  People who are diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis have a significantly higher risk of pancreatic cancer, and these findings seem to be independent of sex, country, and type of pancreatitis.

Recently, a number of GLP-1 therapy drugs used to treat type two diabetes drugs have been linked to pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.  Currently, much of the research only shows that drugs like Victoza, Byetta, and Januvia are associated with pancreatitis, but studies like the one summarized above show us that if one suffers from pancreatitis, the risk for pancreatic cancer is 16 times higher than if one did not have pancreatitis.  Here is a link to a study showing GLP-1 therapy drugs are associated with cancer.

Due to the fact that the manufacturers of many of these drugs have failed to warn of the risk for pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, a number of Byetta lawsuits, Victoza lawsuits, Januvia lawsuits, and other GLP-1 therapy drug lawsuits have been filed.

If you or a loved one used a GLP-1 therapy drug such as Victoza, Januvia, and Byetta and suffered from either pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer, you may be entitled to significant financial compensation.  For more information, please do not hesitate to contact our team of Victoza lawyers, Januvia lawyers, and Byetta lawyers at the information provided below.  We have the resources, skills, and experience required to win the justice you deserve, even from the largest of pharmaceutical manufacturers.

(855) 452-5529

justinian@dangersoudrugs.us

Our Byetta Lawsuit / Victoza Lawsuits / Januvia Lawsuit Information page is a great place to start if you have any questions about GLP-1 therapy drugs and diabetes drug lawsui