Pancreatic cancer mortality in Louisiana

As a preliminary step in the investigation of high pancreas-cancer mortality among White males in a cluster of Louisiana parishes, we examined 876 pairs of certificates of death which occurred in this area during 1960--75. The pancreas-cancer death records were matched to controls by age, race, sex, year of death, and parish of residence. The odds ratios were increased about two-fold for workers in the oil refining and paper manufacturing industries, and slight elevations were seen among residents near refineries and food processing plants. Despite the limited residential and occupational information available on death certificates, this study suggests leads to environmental factors that can be further investigated by a case-control interview study in Louisiana.