Is pancreatic cancer hereditary?

Pancreatic cancer can run in families, making it hereditary, but it can also develop later in life, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Pancreatic Cancer Action reports that as of 2014, 5 to 10 percent of pancreatic cancer is hereditary.

As of 2014, the National Familial Pancreas Cancer Registry includes multiple members of more than 250 families, according to Johns Hopkins. Only recently have researchers discovered a direct link between family members with pancreatic cancer. Previous instances of family members having this cancer were thought to relate indirectly to other conditions. Mutations of the chromosome 7 trypsinogen gene are a common source of hereditary pancreatic cancer.