This year, about 55,440 people (29,200 men and 26,240 women) will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, and about 44,330 people (23,020 men and 21,310 women) will die of this particularly virulent tumor type. For men, the average lifetime risk is about one in 63; for women, about one in 65. But risk factors – tobacco use, obesity, exposure to certain chemicals – play a role.