| Epidemiologists estimate that smoking causes 30 percent of all cases of pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The pancreas has both a digestive and a hormonal function. Composed mainly of exocrine tissue, it secretes enzymes into the small intestine, where they help break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Pockets of endocrine cells called the islets of Langerhans produce glucagon and insulin, hormones that regulate blood-sugar levels. About 95 percent of all pancreatic cancers begin in the exocrine tissue. |
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