Increased risk of pancreatic cancer in individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

The association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the risk of pancreatic cancer in the general population remains unclear. This nationwide cohort study included 8,120,674 adults who underwent a national health screening in 2009 from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Participants were followed-up until December 2017 for the development of pancreatic cancer. NAFLD was assessed using the fatty liver index: ≥ 60, NAFLD and < 30, no NAFLD. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was performed. During the follow-up of 59.1 million person-years, 10,470 participants were newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. NAFLD was significantly associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer compared to no NAFLD (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.17; 95% CI 1.09–1.26). This association was significant in both the obese (aHR, 1.14; 95% CI 1.05–1.23) and non-obese groups (aHR, 1.14; 95% CI 1.003–1.29). Individuals with fatty liver index 30–59 also had an increased risk (aHR, 1.10; 95% CI 1.05–1.16). The risk of pancreatic cancer increased with increasing fatty liver index scores (P for trend < 0.001). This study demonstrated that NAFLD was independently associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, regardless of obesity. Our finding suggests that NAFLD may be a modifiable risk factor for pancreatic cancer.