Fatty Pancreas and Pancreatic Cancer: An Overlooked Association?

Background: fatty pancreas (FP) is an old observation, but a new disease with clinical implications and several associated comorbid conditions, ranging from mild to life-threatening diseases. Herein, we aimed to assess the association between FP and pancreatic cancer (PC) development.

Methods: we performed a retrospective cross-sectional study including all patients who underwent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for hepatobiliary indications. The study cohort was divided into patients with and without PC. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to assess the association of several parameters with PC.

Results: overall, 519 patients were included in the study. Of them, 48 had PC (PC group), and 471 did not (non-PC group). In univariate analysis, age (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.07, = 0.004), congestive heart failure (CHF) (OR 3.89, 95% CI 1.72-8.79, = 0.001), ischemic heart disease (IHD) (OR 3.36, 95% CI 1.59-7.05, = 0.001), hypertension (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.33-4.41, = 0.004) and fatty pancreas (FP) (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.23-5.57, = 0.01) were significantly associated with PC. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, only FP kept its association (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.04-5.33, = 0.04).

Conclusion: FP was significantly associated with PC. A follow-up plan should be considered for individuals with FP.