Let’s start with pancreatic cancer. “Although smoking was a major risk factor globally, we found that raised blood glucose and obesity are major risk factors for early-onset pancreatic cancer in Australia and Oceania,” he says. “Smoking, alcohol and obesity are significant contributors to the risk of pancreatic cancer. “Although raised blood sugar alone doesn’t increase the chances of pancreatic cancer, insulin resistance, poorly controlled blood sugar and inflammation of the pancreas, all factors that go with long-standing diabetes, are associated with pancreatic cancer risk.” Research from the UK last year found that diabetes can almost double the risk of pancreatic cancer. The numbers of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Australia aren’t huge – just under 5000 cases last year.